Dangerous Men, Dark Deeds
by Kidonia Shinji
Summary: Kidonia and her friends take a trip to the Heathers for some relaxation and fun, but do Simon and Stanley have other plans? This is for the movie Simon Says and takes place in an alternate time line where Simon didn't go into a coma. Rating may change.
1. Let The Commencement Commence

Dangerous Men, Dark Deeds

A/N: All characters copyright to their creators. Simon and Stanley belong to Bill Dear and Crispin Glover. Kidonia and all other non-movie characters are mine unless otherwise indicated. Etherean is copyright Spy Moose(yes, that's right... the creator of "A Girl, a Boy, and their Unforseen Fantasies). Please ask before using them, but fan art would be welcome. Do try to be tasteful. There will be some changes made to this chapter, and so you should check back regularly to find out what's up. Rated T for swearing, and there will be plenty of it, but the rating may go up for blood and gore(it is a horror fic, after all...).

Disclaimer: I do not own Simon Says(if I did, I would be working on the sequel) or anything else I might use from other copyrighted material(to be listed at the end of the chapter). Please don't sue me...I'm just a poor fangirl...

Chapter 1

The scarlet Blazer sped down the dirt road, passing a number of signs: No Trespassing, No Hunting, Beware of Dog, Dead End, No Parking on Grass, 13 MPH . "I think you're going too fast..." Branwen says. Kidonia laughs and says "Have you SEEN any cops down here?" It pulls up to a large and fairly old house. A young woman gets out of the driver's side, looks around, and shouts, "Hey! Get out here if you're gonna come with us!" This is Kidonia. Two other women lean out of the truck. One was clearly younger, Branwen, and the other, Etherean, appears to be the oldest. "Hurry your ASS!!" Etherean yells. Branwen rolled her eyes, but calls out a resounding, "Yeah!" Shaking her head, Kidonia walks up the porch steps, grabs two of the bags, and puts them in the back. As she heads back up, an even younger girl steps out of the house with a couple of bags in hand.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kidonia asks incredulously. "Where's Mot?" This girl looks blithely at her and replies, "He's coming…You're the ones who chose him to bring the food!" Just then, a young man steps out with a cooler in each hand. "Kidonia, Alice wanted to come with, you know how THAT argument ended. Anyway, I got more than enough food and you should have enough room, right?"

At this, she turned a dead-eyed stare on him. "It's not a matter of having enough room. We all agreed that everyone would provide something for this trip. I brought the car, Eth brought the booze, you and Alexei are bringing the food, Branwen brought the tunes and Elizabeta is bringing the other beverages. Oh, and everyone chipped in for gas, 'cause this machine doesn't function on God's own methane… So what exactly would she be bringing?"

"What about Leander?" He tossed back. "And Tori?" Kidonia sighs and answers in a somnolent tone, "Leander brought the second vehicle and Tori brought extra tents, flashlights, batteries, and provisions. Now, what is Alice going to bring?" He turns to her expectantly. "Extra sleeping bags, an ice machine, and enough money to pay for my share of gas AND water for the ice maker." She responds promptly. "Fine...I guess she can come along." Kidonia accedes, albeit with a condescending tone, "There anything else to be brought out?"

"A few more coolers...Oh, and a couple of bags with the rest of her stuff in them." Mot responds.

"I meant anything important!" Kidonia says, just before she bursts out laughing. Just then Alice's voice brooked the silence, "Oh, and a GPS."

"What?!" Kidonia catechizes angrily, "There will be NO GPS in my vehicle!! You will leave that symbol of mankind's mounting inability to read a map here! We," at this she indicates herself, Etherean, and Branwen. "Can all read maps just fine and we happen to have thoroughly detailed maps of the area in which we are camping!"

"Kidonia's a little touchy about the whole GPS thing..." Mot says with chagrin. "Best not to bring it up or even ask about it"

A/N: The horror part will be forthcoming, by which I mean end of chapter 2 or the beginning of chapter 3. Any suggestions are quite welcome, as is constructive criticism(also known as feedback). I will soon be posting, probably not on here though, the info on the characters, so I will post a link to in on my profile. Additional copyrighted material: River's Edge for Etherean's "Hurry your ass!" and Kidonia's "God's own methane" comments. Please R&R.

~Kidonia Shinji


	2. Are We Lost Yet?

Dangerous Men, Dark Deeds

Chapter 2: "Are We Lost Yet?"

A/N: And in this chapter, we introduce the folks in the second car: Alexei, Leander, Tori, Rowena, Elizabeta, and Eric...most of the character bios have been posted, the link will be put on my profile for those who are interested. We also will be introducing our fine young killers, Simon and Stanley. There is going to be a death in this chapter, squeamish people…ye be warned. Also, anyone who might be offended by taking a religious figure's name in vain or excessive swearing should turn back now.

Disclaimer: I do not own Simon Says (if I did, I would be working on the sequel) or anything else I might use from other copyrighted material (to be listed at the end of the chapter). Please don't sue me...I'm just a poor fangirl...

"Are we lost?"

"No, Alice, we are not lost. We're getting very close. I just need to find the turnoff." Kidonia replies, irked. This has been going on for the past half-hour.

"You said that last time!" Alice whines huffily. "That's because the last time you asked was just two minutes ago. Eth, what does the map say?" Turning slightly to catch sight of the woman in question while keeping her eyes on the road, she notices that the map hasn't been opened yet. "Etherean! Open the blasted map and tell us where that turnoff is!"

"We really ARE lost!!" despairs Alice. "Shut it!" Kidonia retorts sharply.

Startled out of her daydream, she looks down at the map in question, 'More like in "order" heh...' she thought while unfolding it. Getting her bearings on their current locale, she scouts for the road they need. "If this map is right, then we should turn left about...NOW!" Etherean shouts as she looks up to the less traveled path to their destination.

"Shit!" Kidonia calls out as she slams on the brakes. "You just keep planning these little last minute directions, don't you?!"

**_Meanwhile, in the second car..._**

"This shithole is the place? Are you sure you followed the right directions?" Tori asked whorishly. "Well...I think we did. It says we should pull up to a place called 'Minor Tool and Gear' soon." Alexei replies, glancing about.

"Is that it?" Elizabeta inquires, pointing at the somewhat ramshackle building coming into view on the left. Everyone looks toward the location and Tori snorts, "That's it?" The white Murano turns onto the small gravel lot in front and stops. "This is the place...Might as well go in and see if whoever-"

"Or whatever!" Tori interrupts before laughing rudely. "-The hell owns this place will tell us the best way to get to the Heathers." Leander continues, ignoring the interruption. "Let's go!"

Everyone piles out and heads to the door.

Piercing blue eyes watch this occurrence unfold. He glares as he hears the rude remarks of the loud female, and flips the sign on the window to say 'Open'. He smiles as he retreats to the shadowy depths of the shop to await the entrance of his newest players. "Finally..."

Looking around, Elizabeta asks, "Do you think they're open? That sign says 'Closed'..." Tori snorts again and says, "Yeah, but the one in the window says 'Open', so of course they are!" At this, Rowena replies, "Are you saying that if a sign says something it's true? If that's true then a sign on your back saying 'I'm a whore' would make you a whore, right?"

"Of course!" she responds without thinking. As everyone starts laughing, she realizes what she just agreed to. "I meant NO!" she cries, tearing up in the hopes of a little sympathy. Everyone ignores her and heads into the shop. "Hey! Wait up!"

"Hello, anybody here? We need some directions! Hello?!" Alexei shouts, his voice echoing slightly in the enclosed space of the shop. "We also need to buy some gas and stuff!"

"Yeah, stuff!" Leander agrees laughing at his ill-placed joke. "This place looks deserted, man...if there is anything here we need, we should take it and just leave the money with a note or something."

"That wouldn't be right..." A voice responds from the back of the shop, "You'd break the law..." A young man walks out, wearing a uniform and a blue cap, his name patch reads 'Simon'. "Hafta call the sheriff...if ya did that..."

"Uh, there's no need to do that, uh...Simon..." Elizabeta says timidly, "Since you're here and all...um, you wouldn't happen to be able to tell us how to get to the Heathers, would you?"

"Of course he can't!" Tori cuts in before Simon can say anything more, "Can't you see that he's slow? Y'know...like retarded..." At this Elizabeta and Rowena facepalm in sync.

"I'm...not...retarded..." Simon says quietly, glaring at the group standing before him. "Simon not retarded...NOT RETARDED!!" He screams before running into the back and slamming the door. Leander, Alexei and Tori all burst out laughing at this, "Jesus, did you see the look on his face...too fucking funny, man!"

"You wouldn't find it too funny if it were you..." Another unknown voice says from the doorway. Standing there is a man with slicked back hair in a wife beater top. "My brother has good days and, uh, bad...I'm Stanley. Whatcha want here?"

"Well...before my acquaintances here were so very rude, and I am very, VERY sorry about that...even if they aren't...we were asking about directions to a camping area called the Heathers." Elizabeta spoke up before anyone could piss the locals off any more. "Could you tell us the way, please?"

"Certainly, if only ta get y'all outta my shop. You take this here road on down 'til your tires hit the water, then you'll be there." Stanley responds forcibly, "That it?"

"Uh, yeah...I think that's all..." she replies quickly, eager to remove herself from the shop before anything else regrettable occurs.

"Don't forget about the gas!" Leander shouts unnecessarily. He then pulls out $50 and sets it on the counter, "Keep the change, buddy..."

"I'm not your buddy… " Stanley says before pointing at the door.

As the group heads out, Leander shouts, "Eric! Back in the truck!" and a young Hispanic man walks over to the Murano and gets inside. Tori mutters under her (nasty) breath, "Whoever heard of a Mexican named Eric?" Alexei nudges her and asks "Why else would we have referred to him as 'Eric the Mexican', do you think?"

"Can you believe those redneck yokels? I mean, how rude can you get?" Tori queries, changing the subject. "The stupid one yells at us and the other one acts as if he's high king of BFE!"

"You know, I think it's statements like that which'll get you in trouble." Rowena says, shaking her head. "Kidonia would never have allowed this level of rudeness…" Elizabeta says softly, mostly speaking to herself, as she gets into the vehicle.

"Who cares what she would or wouldn't do? She's not here and she sure as hell ain't my damn boss…" Leander tosses back, starting up the car and turning on the radio.

_-Dress now,_

_Let me go_

_And I just can't look; it's killing me_

_And taking control…_

"Now, everybody, get in the truck!" he yells, closing the door. Once everyone was in, the Murano tore off down the street.

**_5 minutes later…_**

A black Crown Victoria pulls up to the shop and shuts off. A man steps out and walks into the shop. He spots Simon dusting the counters. " 'Ey, kid…can youse tell me how ta get back ta the innerstate?" He asks with a thick New York accent. "I got turned 'round on the way to a funeral…"

Simon turns around and looks at the visitor. "I don't understand…" He says, confused. "I need directions ta th' innerstate!" The man repeats, frustrated. Simon shakes his head, indicating that he still doesn't understand. This frustrates the New Yorker even more, so he grabs Simon by the shoulder and yells, 'Directions! Ya understand THAT? 'Cause if ya don't I'm gonna punch youse right in your ugly puss!"

Simon, enraged by both the rudeness of his previous visitors and the perceived threat of the angry man in front of him, grabs one of the liter bottles of Jack Daniel's and bashes it against the man's skull. He watches joyously as it shatters and the man collapses. His rage not fully dissipated, Simon leaps on the prone body and begins to rain blows and thrusts of the jagged bottleneck down on the man's face. Blood splatters against his face and on the floor around them as he continues his assault.

Stanley, who heard the commotion, makes his way to the front of the shop. When he arrives, he rushes forward and pulls his brother off of the now dead man. "Simon! How many times do I hafta tell ya? Don't kill folks in the shop! It's bad for business." Shaking his head, Stanley grabs the corpse by the legs and says, "You go get the mop and a bucket of water while I get rid of the body. Can't be too careful…"

**_Back in the first car..._**

"Ooh...Gravesites..." Etherean says gleefully, happy to be around something considered so dreary and depressing. Kidonia smiles at this and pulls over.

"Graveyards are so nasty!" Alice says with a shudder, "Why do you wanna go in there with all those dead corpses?"

"Maybe we'll find an open one to put YOU in...you're basically a stiff already!" Kidonia replies, playfully shoving Alice.

"Lookin' fer someone in particular?" An older man asks as he grabs Mot's shoulder, then starts to laugh as Mot jumps back in terror.

"Can you point out the most interesting tombstone here?" Etherean asks, walking up with her graverubbing gear in hand.

"Billy the Kid is buried over there" He says, pointing to a tombstone at the top of the graveyard."Cool." she replies, heading over to get a rubbing.

"Say, can you tell us where town is?" Kidonia asks patiently. Another older man walks up and points at a break in the foliage, "See that building there? That's town."

Kidonia smiles and says, "Let me guess, you guys live out of town..." to which they nod and then simply start walking away.

"Sty, I think we need to get a couple of graves dug before dinner." The first one says. Sty replies, "About five by my count, Pig..."

Kidonia and Etherean begin to laugh at this and both walk calmly back to the Blazer. Mot, Alice and Branwen and set a quick pace and essentially jog back.

The Blazer then speeds down the road towards town. As they turn onto another dirt road, Mot vocalizes the first bar of the dueling banjos. At this everyone bursts out laughing.

They then pull up in front of Minor Tool and Gear and as they get out, Kidonia turns to Branwen. "Hey, Branwen...why don't you get out the leashes and take Enki and Deimos for a walk?"

"Sure." She says, going around to the back and opening the trunk to get the leashes. She then opens the rear driver's side door and puts the two wolves on their respective leads. "Come on, guys" She says as she walks towards the treeline.

"Don't go too far!" Etherean calls out, before opening her parasol and stepping out herself. The rest of the group tentatively head inside the building. As they walk in, they notice a young man mopping the floor. He is mopping next to what is clearly a handmade Wet Floor sign, due to the fact that it is constructed of wood and metal and the sign actually reads "Cation: Wet Flore" with a crudely drawn stick figure slipping on the 'wet floor'.

"Are you open?" Kidonia asks. The man turns to the group and says, "Always open. Seven...Twenty-four..."

Alice, thinking this is the perfect time to make a joke, then remarks "That means they're open 7 hours a day 24 days a week, right?" Etherean and Kidonia both turn to her and say, "Not funny."

Kidonia then looks down at the floor and back up at the man whose name patch(as we already know) reads 'Simon'. "What happened here?" she asks politely, indicating the floor. "Simon was a bad boy...Simon make a mess..." He replies while continuing to mop. "Oh...well, um...nice sign." she comments, smiling. Simon looks up at her, startled, and then looks back down at the floor with a small smile of his own.

"Thank ya kindly, miss...for the compliment." Stanley answers from the doorway. "What can we do for ya?"

Kidonia looks over at him, and says "Well...there's two things I'd like to ask..." He looks directly into her eyes and replies, "Go ahead..."

"First off...did a group of people stop here? There should've been five or six of them, three of which would be considered fairly rude, probably in a white vehicle..." She asks expectantly. Stanley's gaze hardens at the thought of his earlier visitors, "Yeah...they came in here and aggravated my brother..." at this, he points to Simon. "That was about a half hour ago..."

"Alright then...my apologies for their uncalled for rudeness...and second, we need directions to the Heathers." Kidonia returned, inwardly desiring nothing more than to throttle her rude camper counterparts. Stanley takes a long, hard look at all of this group, gauging their sincerity. As his gaze settles on Mot, who cringes in fear of that steely-blue gaze, he smiles and nods. "You'll take this road on down til you get to the water..." He says finally, looking back at Kidonia before decidedly resting his eyes on Etherean.

"Thanks..." Etherean says, blushing slightly, with a smile on her face.

A/N: Well...that went on longer than I expected...the next posting will mark my rating move from T to M...I was debating it for this chapter, but decided not to. The thing there with Mot will be discussed in a later chapter. I do not have ownership of: Jack Daniel's, Chevrolet, Nissan, Phineas and Ferb(5 points to the person who tells me what my reference was), the dueling banjos tune, or the song "Mr. Brightside" by the Killers...if there's anything I forgot...I'm just a poor fangirl, we don't own much... Please Read and Review, because reviews are like writer treats, we all enjoy them.

Until next time,

~Kidonia Shinji


	3. The Bloody Pickaxe

A/N: This is not an official chapter for the story, this is a horror/comedy bit I came up with and decided to go through with and post up here. There are two deaths in here, so don't read this if you are squeamish...

As a great actor once said...

"I wouldn't trust no words writ down on no piece of paper"

Disclaimer - blah, blah, blah...don't own it.

An awkward silence settled on the campers. Kidonia clears her throat and looks up at the ceiling. Noticing the interesting decorations, she says "Nice pickaxes...How much?"

Befuddled by the peculiarity of this question, Stanley simply replies, "15 dollars." Kidonia nods, as if agreeing that it is a decent price and hands him the money. "I'll take one."

Simon, in an effort to repay the earlier kindness, gets a pickaxe down and gingerly holds it out toward her. "Thank you, Simon." she says sincerely, smiling as she carefully removes it from his grasp. He nods, keeping his eyes on the ground.

The group then heads out of the shop. Kidonia stops them before they can get in the vehicle. "Guys," she says, pickaxe still in hand, "I think this is the perfect time to introduce..." While this is going on, two unrelated things are occurring; coming up behind Kidonia is a Hispanic male and crossing through the woods towards our unwitting gang in an unknown man.

"As I was saying before the narrator interrupted me..." she continues, "This, everyone, is...Eric the Mexican!" Flourishing her pickaxe-holding hand in his direction, it lodges itself into his throat. He gurgles ineffectually and flails his arms towards the pickaxe. At this point, the unknown man begins his leisurely stroll across the gravel lot, whistling 'Singing in the Rain'.

Kidonia starts tugging on the pickaxe, attempting to dislodge it. As the whistling man crosses her path, she finally pulls it from Eric's trachea. Unfortunately, for the other man at least, the tug that removes it from Eric's neck forces it into his. At this, Kidonia lets out an aggravated cry of "Oh, not again!" and begins jerking the pickaxe once more.

Once it comes loose, causing a spurt of blood which streaks across her face, she heads back into the shop. Walking over to the service counter, she calls out "Simon? Stanley? Can I get another pickaxe? This one got all bloody..."

FIN.

A/N: How was that? If you even vaguely felt that was humorous, leave a review. I do not own the song 'Singing in the Rain'. Don't sue me. The next posting will be the real chapter 3 and will bump my rating to M, so make sure to remember that for future searches.

Irony: I do my best writing for this listening to bright, upbeat music.

I would like to thank Spy Moose and Zakillia for reviewing...

Spy Moose - Yes, it is a Psychological Thriller and I'm glad you liked when I made your character blush!

Zakillia - I'm glad you are looking forward to my next posting and I will indeed "Keep it up"...

Until next time just, uh...HANG OUT!

~Kidonia Shinji


	4. Camping Can Be Fun

Dangerous Men, Dark Deeds

Chapter 3

A/N: Hello and welcome to chapter 3 of Dangerous Men, Dark Deeds. This is my first post in the rated M portion of the story, so I hope that you readers will enjoy it and give me feedback. There will be more foul language, more violence, and more death. Unless I get oodles of reviews, then I shall continue making responses at the end of each post. What happened with my last post is probably going to be a fixture here, so feel free to message me with ideas for fun or funny things that you would like to read.

As a great actor once said...

" The special, secret ingredient is real human parts…" (mmmm…soylent candy)

Disclaimer: As usual, I do not own Simon Says and all other copyrighted material will be listed at the end.

"You guys were pretty quick about that." Kidonia spoke up, observing the campsite. "Did you think we were slow?" Tori asks contemptuously. "Not them…" Kidonia replies quickly, pointing at the rest of the group. Everyone but Tori starts laughing, getting louder after she says, "I don't get it…"

"That's my point!" Kidonia manages to get out between bouts of laughter. Etherean, who put forth a few meager chuckles, then proceeded to the shadiest part of the campsite and looked it over herself.

As everyone began to settle down, Kidonia went to the back of the Blazer and opened the trunk. She then proceeded to remove the items she perceived were necessary. At the sound of Enki and Deimos' synchronous barks, she smiles and says, "Don't worry, I wasn't going to forget you guys." She then opens one of the backseat doors and the two wolves jump out. "Enjoy yourselves." She calls out as they run off.

While Kidonia got the supplies in order, Tori came up behind her and asked, "Hey, what do you get when you mix Gollum and Grendel? Give up? The answer is you! Hahahahaha!!"

Kidonia turns a dull-eyed glare on her and replies blithely "Go hire a hooker if you want someone to fuck with." Tori gasps in shock at the rudeness of this statement. Etherean's laughter rang out across the campsite as Kidonia returned to her organization.

Tori huffed and walked off, pulling out her cellphone as she went. Glancing at the screen, she began to wander around the campsite with the phone in the air. "I can't believe I don't have any signal!" she whines, swapping hands and changing direction.

"There is no signal out here. This trip was meant to take us away from technology and to enjoy the peace and gentility of nature." Mot explains in a scholarly tone.

Finished with the organization, Kidonia walks over and sits down next to Etherean, who happens to be reading from her copy of "The Complete Collection: Edgar Allen Poe". She sighs and asks, "Eth, why did we agree to bringing 'Whori' along?" Etherean puts her bookmark in the book, closes it, and replies, "I'm just waiting for her to go to pieces..." She then returns to reading. Kidonia leans over and notices that the story was 'The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether'. She shrugs and begins to get up as the sound of rustling greenery becomes louder and a group if unknown guys walk into the campsite.

Kidonia makes her way toward the man in the lead, but her way is blocked by one of the other men who appears to have stepped out of rank for this exact reason. His hair was dyed a deep green. "Hey, babe... I sure hope I'm a Viking, because I'm positive that you're a Valkyrie." he says, looking her over like a piece of meat. "That's one I've never before..." Kidonia replies, shaking her head "But still lame. Now if you'll excuse me..." She tries to move around him, but he continues to block her path. "Only if you'll excuse me." He said, moving closer to her.

_Just outside the campsite..._

Shaking with rage, Simon attempts to rush into the campsite, but is held back by Stanley. "Simon, calm down! You'd go to jail if ya hurt someone in front of witnesses!" At this, Simon stops thrashing, but what he sees next seals the goon's fate.

_Back in camp..._

"Hey, get your damn hands off me!" Kidonia shouts, grabbing the man's wrists and removing them herself.

One of the other guys decides to try his luck with Etherean. The blond walks over, glances at the book and says, "That's some dark reading for an angel. I'm sure you'd find me a much more interesting study." He grabs her arm, hauls her to her feet, and proceeds to cop a feel. Etherean scowls and calls out "Get your mitts off me." She jerks away and walks off toward the Blazer, book in hand.

_Outside the camp..._

The murderous glint that was in Simon's eyes is now mirrored in Stanley's. "Simon says we're gonna have some fun..." he declares as they follow the obvious trail back to the men's camp. Looking around the camp, they notice a bunch of paintball guns. "Paintball is pointless..."

The brothers then set up a couple of traps around the clearing. "This oughtta teach them to keep their hands offa pretty girls." They then return to the shadows in the forest.

_5 Minutes Later..._

As the five men return to their camp, disgruntled by their inability to snag any of the chicks at the other camp, they seemed unaware of the dangerous alterations to their surroundings. One of the men, a redhead, stumbled towards the brush that fringed the clearing. As he stepped between two bushes, he hit a tripwire and a gearwheel with several dangerous protrusions swung out, ripping off a portion of his lower legs. The force from the blow flung him, screaming, back into the camp, where he knocked down the blond just as he set off another trap. This saved the blond.

The man with brown hair, who had been standing next to him, however, was not so lucky. This trap seemed to utilize an oversized, modified bear-trap. It swung in and clamped on, but its hold was tenuous and as the unfortunate sot struggled, it began to shear through the tender flesh of his throat. Appalled by this, the black haired youth began to retreat from the gore. Behind him, Stanley was waiting with his hands behind his back.

When the youth had moved into range, Stanley brought his left hand up and clutched his shoulder. He brings his right hand up, holding a nail gun, puts it against the lad's temple and pulls the trigger. Once, twice, thrice...blood is oozing from the punctures in his head as he drops face first to the ground, dead. "Pinned ya..."

_At the main camp..._

Cocking her head to one side, Kidonia listens closely to the sounds outside of the camp. "Anyone else think they heard screams?" she asks, unsure. Everyone shakes their heads. She shrugs and glances at the board "Miss Scarlet in the conservatory with the revolver." Etherean looks through her cards and shows Kidonia the card that reads 'Conservatory'. "I stand corrected..." Kidonia replies, marking it off her scorecard. She leans back and opens a cooler with the words 'Stay Back!' painted on it.

"Eth, you want one?" she asks, pulling out a can of Mountain Dew. When she nods, Kidonia hands the first can to her and grabs another for herself. "Can I have one?" Mot asks tentatively. Kidonia fixes a stare on him, nods, grabs another and passes it to him.

"Anyone wonder where Eric is? He's been gone for more than an hour..." Alexei inquires worriedly. "Maybe I should've brought tequila..." Etherean says before rolling the dice. "How would that have helped?" Alice asks, confused. Kidonia smiles, knowing this was going to be very wrong. "He'd come running, tequila is like catnip for Mexicans..." Etherean explains, laughing.

"Who thought of bringing a board game on a camping trip anyway?" Tori asks snidely. "Who would try to find signal in the middle of a frakking forest?" Kidonia responds, rolling her eyes.

_With Eric..._

Eric is wandering through the forest, trying to find his way back to camp. As he's walking, he fails to notice the log in front of him and the dropoff just beyond it. He trips on the log and flips, sliding down the steep slope of the dropoff. He lands on his back, his head smacking on the hard packed earth. Wincing at the pain, he raises one hand up to his head and then opens his eyes. What he sees is quite disturbing: A man spattered with blood, holding a pickaxe. "Por qué?!" Eric shouts as the man raises the pickaxe. The man then grins like a psychopath as he swings the pickaxe down with all his might.

A wet thunk echos slightly and the only sound to be heard is panting, this is coming from the pickaxe wielding fiend.

_At the paintball camp..._

"Oh God! What the hell happened?" The blond shouted, looking at the horror surrounding him. "You ok?" he asks as he sees the man with green hair. The man nods and goes to help the blond up. They both shudder in revulsion at the sight of their mangled friends' corpses. "We gotta get the hell away from here." They both nod and walk out of the camp.

Simon and Stanley step out from behind a couple of trees, pickaxes in hand, grinning. "You boys should start a-runnin'..." Stanley says grimly, moving forward. The guys turn and run frightened in the other direction.

"You take the one with green hair, Simon..." Stanley orders. "I'll get the blond." And they gave chase.

As usual with people running from killers, the two men run off in different directions. Stanley easily catches up to the unfortunate blond and fells him with a single blow from his pickaxe. Simon prolongs his chase of the green-haired man and chases him to the river. As they run along the waterline, he swings the pickaxe and it lodges into the man's spine. "Tag...you're it!" Simon says, smiling.

_In the main camp..._

"What an awesome spider!" Kidonia proclaims joyously. She then sits down and watches the spider catch and devour its prey. "

A/N: If anyone is interested, the paintball guys had names...they were Aaron, Jack, Steve, Bob, and Ben. Aaron and Jack were the ones who groped Etherean and Kidonia(in that order). As far as the other three are concerned, feel free to choose which one you think is which. I do not own Clue, Back to the Future(if I did, I would never have used Crispin's image without permission), Lord of the Rings, Beowulf, Edgar Allan Poe, Rubin and Ed(even though I only sort of quoted that), Mountain Dew, Battlestar Galactica, or Lion King(even though that turned out to be inadvertent). Any other copyrighted material that I have not addressed is more than likely not mine either. Again, feel free to tell me anything you might want in future postings. As you have noticed, I will be using the traps from the movie as well as ones from other ideas. The link to the bios is up on my profile.

Until next time,

~Kidonia

P.S. - Simon says I'm not crazy!


	5. Tis Better To Give Than To Receive

A/N: This is not chapter 4...this is another intermittent humor piece with the oh so important violence and gore...I have already finished chapter 4 and it will be posted only once I have received at least one review, so please send me some more. The reviews make me feel like this isn't a waste of time and paper. As this is posted in the M rating now, there will be more violence, offensive material, and language/gore/death.

As a great actor once said...

"That sounds like two jobs..."

Disclaimer: As I have said, I do not own Simon Says and everything else used will be listed at the end. Also, note that none of what happens in this post actually occurs in the story. Please don't get offended...

A bus pulls into the field next to Minor Tool and Gear. The occupants of the bus file out and begin to alter it, as it was constructed to be capable of doubling as a stage.

The brilliance and beauty of the machinery was not lost on Stanley, who had come out of the shop at the sound of an approaching vehicle. This was most certainly not what he had expected. He grimaced at the clang of a mishandled tool against this impressive work of craftsmanship. 'These fools don't know anythin' 'bout machinery...' He thought as they unceremoniously dropped the siding on the support beams, the sound of metal scraping metal ringing through the air.

One of the more...outgoing...members of the bus group came over to Stanley. "Hey, you know anyone who'd like to see a stage production musical?" He asked, possibly attempting to sound street. Stanley's gaze narrowed on the annoyance in front of him. "What musical?" The boy, who couldn't have been more than 17, grinned and replied "High School Musical!" Stanley shuddered and replied "Can't say as I know what them campers would think of watchin' such as that..." The boy shrugged and walked over to the collective to relay the news.

"We might as well do a rehearsal or two while we're here, even if we don't do the whole show." was the reply from the director. "Everyone, places for Act one Scene four!" As they got set up for their rehearsal, Simon came over to Stanley and asked "What's all that?" Stanley shrugged, "Some theatre troupe...they're doing High School Musical." Simon twitched slightly before replying "That sounds unpleasant...I'll load the catapults..." After Stanley nods, Simon walks off into the woods.

Stanley, who has seen all he needed to, headed back into the shop to write down all the ideas swirling through his mind. As he was completing the first sketch, the muffled sound of the actors performing the first musical number filtered into the shop. If anyone laid eyes on him at that moment, they would more than likely have run away screaming from the obvious blind rage which had settled over him. "I will not listen to **that** for two days!"

A group of the currently unnecessary actors had been assigned the task of hiking up to the campsites to see about mustering up an audience. Their spirits brightened as they came upon our protagonists' camp and saw two cars. Kidonia and Etherean were reading; Mot, Tori, Alexei, Leander, Elizabeta, and Alice were playing Clue, and Rowena was taking a nap. Etherean was, of course, enjoying her usual fare of dark literature in the form of Emily Dickinson. Kidonia was reading a paperback copy of 'A Quick Bite' by Lynsay Sands.

"Hey!" The girl in the lead calls out, "Anyone here like musicals?" Kidonia looks up and asks, "Which one?" With a beaming smile, the girl replies "High School Musical!" Kidonia groans and drops her head at the awfulness which will last for most of the week, by her reckoning at least.

"I love High School Musical!" Tori and Alice exclaim in sync. Everyone else groans and Etherean says, "Why not just ask me to gouge my eyes out with rusty spoons?" Kidonia nods and adds "And shove starving carnivorous earwigs in our ears!"

_Meanwhile, in the area surrounding the shop..._

Simon grins at the sound of screams from the actors, he had hit someone. Placing a hand on the trigger, he uses the other to adjust the trajectory. "Let's see if they can play...CATCH!" He crows, pulling the trigger and watching as three more actors collapse with pickaxes lodged in various parts of their bodies. He grins again as Stanley walks up behind him. 'Havin' fun, Simon?" He asks, seeing the carnage laid out across the field. Simon nods, almost frantically, and begins to adjust the trajectory for his next target. "We're gonna hafta clean up that field..." Simon pulls the trigger once more with a shouted "Hah!" Two more collapse and the screams get higher, even as they lose some depth.

_Back at camp..._

The actors had left after imparting the information that the camper could come on down around 7 PM to watch the performance. Kidonia could only hope that Simon and Stanley told them that they had to leave. She wouldn't mind going down there to visit, but the idea of **that** going on was more than enough to quell such plans. "What ever happened to good musicals?" Tori snorts at this question, "What do you mean 'good musicals'? High School Musical is awesome!"

Kidonia simply replies "High School Musical is the drugged-up, bastard child of Grease 2 and...and...um..."

"Moulin Rouge..." Etherean finishes for her. "Yeah, that's the one!" Kidonia responds, grinning. She then goes about preparing and making dinner. "Might as well get this done...since some of us intend to be leaving camp before seven..." Etherean returns to reading as Rowena wakes up. "Who's leaving camp and why?" Rowena asks, confused. "Tori and Alice for sure...there's a troupe doing High School Musical in that field next to the shop in town."

"You mean the shop that IS town..." Alice says snarkily "With those idiot twins who run it hanging around, it'll be hard to enjoy it..." Kidonia shrugs, "I'd enjoy it...or at least, I'd enjoy their company..."

_At the field..._

Simon and Stanley were working their way through the field, picking up stray body parts along the way. They were also checking the condition of the members of the troupe. Simon came upon one of the unlucky suffering ones, the man was gurgling and writhing slightly with a pickaxe in his throat. He placed one foot on the man's head, leaned down, grabbed the pickaxe with his right hand, and yanked it to one side. A spurt of blood hit Simon in his face. He then stood up, pickaxe still in hand, and began to walk away with blood dripping from his face.

Stanley, being the one more likely to take the clean and clinical approach, was merely slitting the throats of of all the still-living actors he came across. Once they reached the other side of the field, they dropped the loose parts into a pit a couple of feet past the treeline. They then began the arduous task of moving the bodies to the pit. Shooting an almost smug look at Stanley, Simon vocalizes what they were both thinking "Simon says no bad musicals."

_Back at camp..._

After everyone had eaten their fill, Kidonia separated what was left into two Tupperware containers. They all piled into the vehicles and went down to the town. Upon pulling up to the field, they realized that there is no stage, no bus, and no actors to be seen. Kidonia pulls into the shop's gravel lot, determined to find out what happened. She climbs out of the truck with the two containers and some plastic cutlery in hand.

Simon and Stanley step out of the shop before Kidonia gets anywhere near the door. "Can we help ya, miss?" Stanley asks somewhat tersely. "Well...good evening to you too..." Kidonia says sarcastically. "I brought you boys some food made from scratch and you're gonna be rude, huh?" Simon takes a small step forward "From...scratch...?" He asks nervously, "For...us?" Kidonia nods "What else would I be bringing in Tupperware with forks and spoons? Poison?" Stanley shrugs nonchalantly "Maybe..."

"Well...sorry, but I'm fresh out of arsenic..." Kidonia quips as she hands over the food. "And dangerously low on old lace..." Etherean remarks, chuckling at the reference. "I have a cooler with some cans of soda in it if you want some..." Kidonia offers. At their nods, she gets the cooler from the back on brings it over. "By the by, what happened to those actors?" Looking up in surprise, Stanley coughs and replies, "We told 'em to leave..."

"They probably weren't too happy about that..." Kidonia replies, "The ones who came up to the camp said they would put on a performance tonight...Of course, it means very little to me...only Tori and Alice wanted to watch it." Stanley merely responds, "We made sure they left quite peacefully..."

A/N: Well, that was kinda fun to write... I do not own: High School Musical(thank God), Clue, Emily Dickinson, Lynsay Sands' Argeneau series, Grease 2, Moulin Rouge, Tupperware, Arsenic and Old Lace, or anything else I might have missed...please don't sue me and please leave some reviews, I am running low on ideas for stuff to do in the upcoming chapters. Also, I will give 5 points per correct answer to what movies my quotes are coming from, what actor said them, and the character name. 20 points each for a full list per quote.

Til next time,

~Kidonia


	6. The Problem With Gifts And Surprises

Sorry that this isn't a new chapter, but I'll hopefully have the next chapter up either later today or sometime tomorrow...There have been some alterations to this chapter, so be sure to read back through it.

A/N: Here we are, folks, chapter 4, didn't think I could get this far without a ramification more severe than memorizing the movie. Hopefully by this point, you will realize that there is very little I can write without being influenced by a movie or show. There should also be knowledge that I don't take credit for anything not mine. I love to hear from my readers, so please R&R.

As a great actor once said...

"My cat can eat a whole watermelon!"

Disclaimer - Simon Says = not mine, I only have the DVD and about $2.00...don't sue me.

Kidonia, who is worriedly searching the camp, asks, "Has anyone seen Enki or Deimos?" Tori snorts and calls back "Who cares? They're just a couple of mutts!" Kidonia's gaze hardens as she turns a furious glare on Tori. "They are not mutts! They are purebred wolves. Which isn't something most humans can say truthfully of themselves..."

After searching the entire campsite and coming up empty-handed, Kidonia decides to expand her search. "Enki! Deimos!" She calls out, walking through the forest surrounding the camp. She wanders a little farther off, "Enki! Deimos! Com here, boys!" Something is following her silently. As if sensing that something is amiss, she glances about and notices that there is indeed a misplaced item. "A...tripwire? Why would one of these be in the forest?" She ponders aloud, looking closely at the tripwire. As she reaches out, intending to discover what it controls, a hand wraps around her wrist.

"Don't!" A familiar voices cries. "It's...dangerous..." Kidonia looks first at the hand clasping her arm and then draws her gaze upward to the gently sculpted face of Simon. "What do you mean, 'dangerous'?" In response, he brushes leaves, dirt, and pine needles off of a trapdoor. "Dangerous." Kidonia nods and stands up before brushing some leaves off of her clothing, but when she turns back, Simon is gone. "Huh..." She says and then proceeds back to camp.

"I'm going to go down to the shop and I'll ask Simon and Stanley if THEY have seen Enki and Deimos. Anyone want me to get anything while I'm there?" Kidonia speaks up decidedly. "How about technology?" Tori asks and Alice adds "Or maybe a proper toilet?" Ignoring them completely, Kidonia gets into the Blazer and drives off. As she gets out of sight, she pops a red CD into the car stereo. It is labeled 'Kidonia's Mix CD'.

_-Ben, the two of us need look no more..._

_We both found what we were looking for..._

Kidonia hits the next button, "Not in the mood for Michael Jackson right now..."

_-Summer lovin', had me a blast..._

_Summer lovin', happened so fast..._

She hits the next button again "No Grease, I don't care if it is the word..."

_-Earth angel, earth angel_

_Will you be mine..._

She hits the eject button "What the hell? I don't want romantic songs!" She swaps out her previous CD for a blue one which reads 'Mixed Up CD 2'.

_-Here is life_

_It's not that I don't care,_

_It's that I can't remember_

_A time before my life went passing by me_

_Leaving only questions._

Kidonia nods and continues her trek to the shop. 'At least this isn't romance music...' She thinks and begins singing along.

_-As the reasons die_

_Hold onto life_

_Watch the ending rise_

_Eye for an Eye..._

She then pulls into the gravel lot, swaps from CD to radio, shuts of the radio, and turns off the car.

Kidonia walks quietly into the shop and as she turns to walk into the main area, she stops dead. The twins appear to be taking inventory...shirtless. 'It is fairly warm out...' Kidonia concedes to herself 'Besides, I'm certainly not complaining about the view.'

"Glad to see you boys are always ready for company!" She calls out, smiling. Simon and Stanley both jerk around in shock at the sound of her voice. Upon catching sight of her, they both relax and return the smile. "We certainly weren't expectin' none..." Stanley replies, shrugging. "I don't imagine you were, Stanley." Kidonia quips, shocking the twins by differentiating them. "How'd you know I wasn't Simon?" he asks with a modest amount of earnest in his voice. "You two have different vocal patterns..." Kidonia replies simply. Simon takes a step towards the counter where two shirts, presumably theirs, lay. Kidonia steps forward as well, grinning. "Don't don a shirt on my account. I just came down here to get away from the doldrums of camping..."

"Doldrums of...ya left the safety and security of your friends to come talk to the folks in charge of the gen'ral store?" Stanley asks incredulously. Kidonia nods and replies "Better you two than some murderous psychopaths, possibly even wielding large and dangerous weaponry." At this, Simon and Stanley share a knowing look. "Besides, it's better than listening to the complaints of a schoolgirl and a know-it-all who really doesn't."

Simon simply stares at Kidonia amazed by the ease with which she trusts him and his brother. Most people were cruel and ended up as casualties in his games. She might actually be one he lets escape, but he hasn't even thought of her as a contestant. 'She's different...I can feel it.' Simon thinks as he lowers his gaze to his shirt. He debates whether he should put it back on. Finally, he sighs and shakes his head.

Simon reaches into one of the compartments under the counter. Stanley watches intently, certain that this wouldn't end well. Simon pulls out a glass hemisphere and sets it on the counter. In the center is a scorpion, perfectly preserved. Kidonia crouches down and looks at it more closely. "That's beautiful..." she says, tracing the edge of the glass. Simon puts his hand down next to it and asks rather nervously, "You like it?"

Kidonia grins and looks him in the eyes. "I adore it. Things like this have always fascinated me." She replies as she covers his hand with hers and squeezes it lightly. He jerks slightly, frightened by this level of physical interaction. "You can have it...Like a present..." She blushes slightly 'Geez, Kidonia, you'd think you would have learned your lesson...Especially after Draven!' Jerking her head to the side at even the mental suggestion of that jackass, she inadvertently began to search the shop.

Coming up with nothing but the twins and some dusty merchandise, she looks back at them sheepishly. "Sorry about that...I thought there was someone else here." Simon makes a waving motion, as if saying _don't worry, we've all had that happen..._ "Thank you, Simon, I would love to accept this...present..." Stanley steps briefly into the backroom and returns with a box. He walks up to Kidonia and sets it down in front of her. "Give this to the dark girl..." He says with a note of affection. "Etherean?" She asks, bewildered. "Yeah...her...tell her it's a present."

"O...K..." Kidonia responds. "Oh, before I forget...Have either of you seen a couple of wolves running around? It's not like them to miss two meals..." Simon tilts his head just before movement draws his attention to the window. "They, uh...big and collared?" Kidonia nods. "One silver and t'other black?" She nods again. "How'd you know?" She asks worriedly. He points at the window mutely. She rushes over to it and looks out. Seeing Enki and Deimos sitting in the shadow cast by the Blazer, she smiles and rushes out of the shop. Simon and Stanley exchange confused looks, shrug, and head after her with their respective presents in hand.

Kidonia, who is lavishing the two wolves with affection, does not take any notice of the twins' approach. "You sure like them critters…" Stanley says questioningly. "Yeah, you get that way when you raise something from infancy." Kidonia replies without removing her eyes from the wolves. She sighs and stands up before going to the back and opening the trunk. At her whistle, Enki and Deimos came to her side. "In, both of you." Kidonia says as she turns to address Simon and Stanley. "Y'know, we always seem to have extra anyway, so, if you want to, you could come on back to the camp with me. I'm sure no one would mind and lunch is probably gonna be ready by the time I get back."

"We'd enjoy that...but I'm afraid we hafta take a raincheck. We got a lot of work to do..." Stanley replies solemnly. Kidonia shrugs and says, "It certainly won't get done on its own." She then notices that they are holding the 'presents' and hurriedly gets the driver's side door open. "I'm sorry that I forgot about those..." Stanley simply hands her the box and watches as she carefully places it on the passenger's seat. Simon steps slightly closer than is necessary and reverentially hands her the scorpion. Kidonia smiles and places it on the dashboard. "Well... You know where we're at, so feel free to drop by..."

Simon nods and Stanley replies, "We'll be sure to visit real soon…" Kidonia nods and gets in the truck. "See ya later, then…" She then closes the door, starts the Blazer, and drives off.

She sighs and opens the glove compartment before pulling out a half pack of Marlboros and a lighter. Removing one, she puts it in her mouth and lights it. She takes a long drag and shakes her head. ''You're falling fast…you haven't even known him a week!" Kidonia berates herself, "Maybe it's due to the fact that I haven't even dared to think about being with someone for two years."

_Back at the camp… _

Etherean sighs and gives up trying to read as Alice screams again.

"She left us to die, I just know it! We're gonna die!" Alice screams for the fifth time. "We'll all die eventually…" Etherean replies before walking over to Alice, grabbing her shoulder, and slapping her soundly. "Now shut up! We are not going to die and I'm sure that Kidonia is on her way back." At this everyone else visibly relaxes, making it obvious that they were also thinking the worst.

_In the Blazer..._

Taking another drag, Kidonia stops the Blazer and puts in park. Rolling the window the rest of the way down, she exhales the smoke from her latest drag. Touching the box that contains Etherean's 'present', she ponders aloud "I wonder what's in there...I hope it's not something creepy... like a teddy bear." She shakes her head again and takes one last drag on her cigarette before flicking it out the window. She then changes gears back into drive and continues on her not-so-merry way back to the camp.

Trying to keep her mind off the tender subject of what anniversary it was, she turns on the radio.

_-I'm a hazard to myself_

_Don't let me get me_

_I'm my own worst enemy_

_It's bad when you annoy yourself..._

Kidonia nods and begins to sing along.

_-L.A. told me_

_"You'll be a pop star,_

_All you have to change is everything you are..."_

_Tired of being compared _

_To damn Britney Spears..._

_She's so pretty, _

_That just ain't me..._

She pulls up to the camp, where nothing seems to have changed except for lunch being ready. She shuts off the Blazer and pops the trunk, getting out and opening it the rest of the way for Enki and Deimos. Once they jump out, Kidonia closes it and fixes herself a plate before sitting down in the shade with Etherean and the wolves. "What did I miss?" Etherean shrugs and replies "Not much…Everyone lost it and I took charge."

Kidonia nods and then remembers the box. She runs over to the Blazer and gets it out. She walks back and hands it to Etherean "It's from Stanley, he said it was a present…"

"Well, a very merry unbirthday to me…" Etherean says with a mild amount of surprise. "Any idea on what it is?" Kidonia shakes her head. "For all I know, it could be a severed head…" At the shocked looks on everyone's faces, she raises her hands. "Just kidding…Geez, doesn't anyone have a sense of humor?" Etherean smiles as she opens the box and gasps as she catches sight of what's inside. She reaches in and pulls out a necklace made with twine, which has a miniature pickaxe on it. The pickaxe has red paint on the edges, making it have the appearance of being bloody.

Etherean puts it on before reaching back inside the box and pulling out a pair of earrings. These are of similar design, however, one tip of these pickaxes slides off to reveal a post to slip into the piercing. "Those are kinda creepy…" Alice comments, looking dubiously at them. "I think they're lovely…" Etherean replies, shooting a severe and reproachful glare at Alice.

"Has anyone seen Tori?" Leander asks, "She walked out of camp in a huff just after you left..." Kidonia shrugs, "I haven't." Etherean, having returned to her reading, pauses before saying, "I personally don't care."

_In the forest..._

Tori trudged through the forest, stomping on any bugs unfortunate enough to cross her path and kicking at defenseless shrubberies. "That bitch! Who does she think she is, insulting me like that! She's just as bad as those morons in charge of the store!" She continues her tirade, unaware that she now has an audience. "They all think they're so smart, we'll see who's smart when I take that high horse away from her. And then I'll teach those dumbasses not to be rude to me...I'll burn that shop to the ground!"

Stanley steps out of the forest just ahead of her, "You lost?" He asks condescendingly. "No, I know exactly where I am and **you** are in **my** way. So move it, stupid!" Stanley clenches his fists, but holds off on vocalizing it. "If you go that way..." At this he points towards a path between two rows of trees, "You'll get back to your camp a whole lot quicker..." Tori looks toward the path he pointed out and says, "Well...thanks, I guess..." She then heads off through the trees. Stanley grins and walks away, glad he could rid himself and the world of such a hateful piece of trash.

Walking along the path, Tori notices that the trees are getting closer together. "He better not have turned me in the wrong direction!" She shouts, not at all watching where she was going. She hits a tripwire, which unleashes a weapon, which we shall call the Gearwheel of Death. It spins out and chops off her lower legs and sends her flying, leaving a trail of blood the whole way, onto an empty pickaxe catapult, which then launches her yet again through the woods. As she is flying, she hits another tripwire, which looses a rusted out waterheater covered in pickaxes. This comes flying towards her at an incredible speed and, as it makes contact, rips her to pieces. These then proceed to fall with sickening bloody plops onto the forest floor just 10 minutes away from the campsite.

_Kidonia's Journal_

_June 23, 2006_

_Well, I guess it shouldn't surprise me that I thought of __**him**__ today, it is the two-year anniversary of my decision to break up with him._

_Him, him, him. He, him, his...I might as well say (or in this case, write) his name._

_Draven. There, I've written it, so now I can get on with writing what happened..._

_Two years ago today, I came back to the apartment we shared. I had gotten off of work early and decided not to call, but to go ahead and surprise him. I knew something was wrong the moment I walked in, it was eerily devoid of the sound of a television tuned to a sports channel. I decided check the bedroom, thinking he might have taken a nap. I opened the door, just to see him lying next to a strange woman, both were nude. "How could you?!" I cried. Very cliche, I know, but how else could I have vocalized my shock?_

_I ran to the kitchen, hoping for some time to organize my thoughts. Draven, however, had followed at my heels, so I picked up a kitchen knife. Waving it threateningly, I put my back against the fridge "Stay back! I don't want to hear anything you have to say, so don't bother!" He picked up the meat cleaver and replied "Kidi, put the knife down..." That had been his pet name for me...Kidi... "Let's talk about this."_

_I shook my head "Nothing to talk about. You lying, cheating bastard! I trusted you!" At this he stepped forward, knocked the knife from my hand, and swung the cleaver. The next thing I know, I wake up on the kitchen floor. My face feels as if it is on fire and I cannot open my right eye. I stumbled to the bathroom, my reflection showed me exactly why my eye won't open. My eye is covered in dried blood, along with a good portion of the rest of my face...head wounds bleed a lot. I turn on the tap, wet a washcloth, and began to wash the blood off. It became rather obvious as I went on that I was going to have a scar. Later, I called his cellphone and left a voicemail saying that it was over._

_There, now that __**that**__ is out of my system, I can safely end this journal entry. Bye._

_-_Kidonia

_At The Shop..._

An orange Corvette skids to a stop, at an angle, in the lot in front of Minor Tool and Gear. A man with electric blue hair gets out and swaggers up to the shop. Stanley, who had looked up, did a double take at the oddity, which was his next customer. "Can I, uh...help ya?" He asks, eyeing the stranger warily. Simon glances over and then continued working on a drawing.

"I'm looking for a chick..." The man responds, looking around with open animosity. "A chick?" Stanley asks, perplexed. "Yeah...A chick, y'know...a girl. I have it on good authority that she came through here." Answers the man. "Maybe you've seen her...long black hair, blue eyes, a scar across her face." The last this man said with a smirk, as if recalling a great victory. Simon is now watching intently, "Kidonia..." he whispers under his breath.

"Would she be travellin' with anyone?" Stanley asks. "Yeah. Some crazy redheaded bitch. A goth, she'd be called, and two big mutts. I think the whole lot should be put down." The man responds crossly. "Oh, by the way...The name's Draven."

A/N: Hooray! The end of chapter 4! This is the part where I'm supposed to promise you guys that I will have my next chapter written and posted as quickly as possible, right? Well, let's hope you guys give me some good ideas because I'm fresh out...seriously, people, please review and give me some stuff to put in the upcoming chapters. Also, won't anyone tell me what movies I'm quoting, I really don't think they're too hard to figure out. I don't own Chevrolet, Michael Jackson, Grease, The Penguins, Bella Morte, Marlboros, Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Alice in Wonderland.

Justin Kinnard - Glad you liked it. Stanley was the mechanical genius, though. Thanks for the ideas, I'll be sure to use some of them. Thank you for reviewing.

Spy Moose - No, unfortunately, owning some cans does not constitute full ownership of Mountain Dew... Thanks for reviewing.

Zakillia - Chapter 4 up! Hope you like it, and I will be sure to keep sending you smiles. ^_^ Thanks so much for reviewing!

Your loyal author,

Kidonia Shinji


	7. Absolutely Instrumental

Dangerous Men, Dark Deeds Faux chapter 3

A/N: Sorry for keeping you guys waiting so long, but this chapter has been giving me hell about getting finished, not to mention the fact that I've been busy learning computer tech stuff. Here's another faux chapter for you, anyway. This one definitely ought to make up for the meager death in chapter 4. I can't make any assurances on the language level in this one, but there shall be oodles of deaths, blood, and possibly even gore. And don't forget: What happens in the faux chapter does not happen in the actual story. That being said, I shall now leave you to read.

As a great actor once said…

"There is work to be done."

Disclaimer – I do not own Simon Says. Everything else is listed at the end.

As the bus driver scanned through stations, trying to find one that played music, she took a right. She was hoping that they weren't lost, but if they were then she would ask the next person they came across how to get to proper roads and the city.

"This is what happens when you don't have GPS…" she remarks, mostly to herself. The bus stops outside of a ramshackle shop and the bus driver gets out to look around. As she does so, she groans, noticing the vaguely forbidding 'Closed' signs hung both on the door and in the shop window. "I should've known…" She returns to the bus and informs the passengers of their directional status. "We'll just have to sleep near here tonight and we'll get going again in the morning." The bus then drives on until they reach an abandoned campsite. "This'll do…" The passengers, who are all band kids, get out and begin unloading sleeping bags and the like. After they set up camp, some of them get out their instruments so that they can practice.

Simon, who was watching from the bushes, cocked his head in mild confusion at some of the instruments. As with most things, the ones that interested him the most were the ones he could use as weapons. Grunting at the sound of an out of tune concertina, he grabs a pair of cymbals to modify them. "Simon says time to have some fun…" He then proceeds to creep away undetected.

"Has anyone seen my cymbals?" a blond boy asks. "Are you sure you didn't misplace them, Dustin?" A brunette girl snarkily responds. He scoffs at this and replies "I'm not stupid, Jenny, they were right here."

_**At the main camp…**_

"Was that a concertina?" Kidonia queried as she toweled off. She had just gotten back from a swim. Etherean stepped up beside her and shrugged, gingerly drying her own wet skin. "Sounded like one if nothing else…"

Alice walked up to them and burst out laughing. "Is that your swimsuit?"

Kidonia rolls her eyes and Etherean responds "Is that a black eye?" Alice's face screws up in confusion as she says, "I don't have a black eye." In a burst of lightning speed, Etherean punches Alice in the eye. "Now you do…" Kidonia chuckles as she walks away from the wailing teen.

_**Back at the shop…**_

Simon carefully places the sharpened cymbal on the workbench. He then glances at the pile of other 'procured' instruments and picks up a clarinet. Turning it to observe its dimensions, he then begins to fit it with steel plates. Glancing up at the sound of someone's approach, he catches sight of Stanley carrying a bloody pick axe. Stanley shrugs and replies to the unspoken question, "Ya gotta have principles…" He then tosses the pick axe in the cooler. Stanley notices the dangerously modified instruments and asks "You plannin' a concert?" At this Simon simply looks up and nods.

_**Later that night, at the band kids' camp…**_

Most of the kids were asleep, but the ones who weren't were gathered around the campfire. Simon and Stanley were poised to launch their assault, having set everything up while the targets were getting ready to sleep. Simon grins maniacally and steals up behind one of the girls. He draws his right hand back carefully before swinging it towards her. She jerks forward with the force of the blow, a clarinet jutting out of her body.

One of the other girls screamed as she realized her friend was dead. Caught up in a confused terror, everyone else began to scream as well. Startled by the screams, Stanley races up to the half-asleep bus driver and holds her mouth shut. He then pulls a sharpened drumstick from a pouch at his side and jams it into her throat. Releasing her from his grip, he watches as she collapses bonelessly.

Simon sticks his foot in the path of a child who was attempting to run away. The boy trips and falls on a concertina, which is covered in poison-coated shards of wood. He rolls over, trying to dislodge them, and sets off a trap. The trap consists of a trough filled with angry king cobras. The snakes were dumped on the nearest group of unwitting victims. As they begin to scream and die from cobra bites, one of them shouts, "These reptiles aren't even native to this biome!" Before proceeding to fall victim to the deadly venom.

_**At the main camp…**_

"Anyone else think they heard the screams of dying band kids?" Kidonia queries warily. Etherean and Mot nod simultaneously, to which Kidonia mutters "Well, that was just creepy…"

"Not as creepy as your oddly specific scream description, Kidonia…" Leander points out as he draws closer to the seemingly aloof trio. "Which, by the way, made no sense…" Kidonia gives him a mild look of childish innocence before replying "Monster truck…" At this he shook his head and walked off.

Alexei sighs and gets up determinedly. "I'm going to investigate it instead of just sitting around talking." He states, glaring at everyone, before stalking off through the woods.

Mot scratches his head and asks, "What was that about?" Kidonia shrugs and replies, "I'd guess there's a bee in his bonnet…"

"Was he even wearing a bonnet?" Alice inquires of Kidonia. Kidonia sighs and downcasts her eyes dejectedly. Mot face-palms and shakes his head while Etherean sniggers behind her hand.

_**Back at the band kids' camp…**_

The carnage has spread throughout most of the camp. The children are huddled in small groups wherever they could find unsullied patches of ground. Simon grins and tosses a cymbal with deadly accuracy. It hits its mark, lopping off an ill-fated boy's head. Alexei stumbles upon the campsite just in time to witness this act, which any newspaper would call 'A gruesome display of apathy.'

"What the hell?!" He shouts. In a jerk reaction, Simon turns and lets fly the other cymbal. His accuracy is slightly off with this throw, it lodges in Alexei's face. The twins then proceed to finish off the other band kids. A few of these were too disturbing to write or even describe. Needless to say, they did involve a trombone, a French horn, a set of bongos, a bagpipe (don't even ask), and three coconuts. Alexei's one undamaged, yet sightless eye was the only witness to these atrocities.

When they had finished the gruesome task, they wandered over and examined the unfortunate interrupter, "This is one of them boys camping with them nice girls…They're gonna notice his absence…" Stanley states, poking the tender and bloody flesh adjacent to the instrumental laceration.

_**Back in the main camp…**_

As the excitement elsewhere was dying down, Kidonia and the other campers were preparing to slumber. As they were heading to their tents, Leander stops Mot and pulls him away from everyone else. "Hey, um…Does it bug you at all that everyone is going missing? 'Cause it's bugging me and I don't wanna be alone!" On this last statement, he clings desperately to Mot's arm. Jerking back in surprise, Mot pushes Leander off of his arm and gives him a bewildered look. "It's all about you, isn't it? You're bugged about everyone going missing, you don't wanna be alone…how about this: you go back to your tent…" Leander whimpers meekly in response and skulks over to his tent.

"Deimos…bed time…" Etherean called softly as she headed towards her tent. The black wolf obediently trotted over and slipped inside the tent before curling up next to the lone sleeping bag. Etherean ducked into the tent and set about performing her nightly ablutions. She then opened her forest green duffel bag and removed from it a ragged teddy bear. The bear was pitch black, stabbed in several places with pins, and missing one eye. Etherean straightens a few of the pins and taps absentmindedly on the empty spot where the eye used to be. She then slides into her sleeping bag and crosses her arms across her chest vampire-style, the bear tucked between them. "Good night Ann Thrax, good night Deimos…"she murmurs tiredly, receiving a huff-bark in response from Deimos, before slipping into sleep's gentle embrace.

The silver wolf sat patiently by the tent as his mistress meditated at the riverside. She has always found meditating a good way to relax, near running water doubly so. Kidonia shifts into a slightly more comfortable position, enjoying the beauty and serenity of nature. Her tension slowly easing, she ponders her peculiar situation.

At the sound of clinking gears, Kidonia looked up and muttered "What the frak was that?" She then looked left, then right, then left again in a double take. "That looks like a… body… I'm gonna have to take a closer look." She got up and stretched before heading cautiously towards the dark unmoving form. Before she even moves forward two paces, an authoritative bark sounds from the edge of the trees. Turning towards the sound, Kidonia sees Enki, his pose and the light of the moon making him look more god than wolf.

"Enki, what's up?" She asks. The wolf barks again in response and jerks his head toward the camp. "Bedtime already?" She inquires, walking back towards him as he nods. Once she was in her tent, Kidonia noticed the return of Enki's playful demeanor. "I hope you realize that all you've done is delay my investigation… Or maybe that was your intention. In any case… G'night Enki…" Kidonia states before rolling over to get more comfortable. She pulls her white teddy bear closer and snuggles it. Her eyes snap open and she states blandly "Nothing says good night's sleep like a stuffed crotch in your face…" before flipping the toy right side up.

_**The next day…**_

After they had all woken up and eaten breakfast, Kidonia told them of what she thought was lying by the river. "Come again?" Rowena inquired. "Yeah, did you say 'A body'?" Elizabeta asks, backing up her sister. Kidonia sighs and replies "I said it looked like a body…I'm not sure what it actually was, Enki kept me from investigating it."

Alice scoffs, "She's just trying to scare you, Elizabeta…" at this, she pushes Elizabeta and laughs as she stumbles. "Don't mess with my sister, bitch!" Rowena growls and punches Alice in the stomach. "Right…let's go!" Kidonia says, leading the way as Alice, wheezing, walks at the rear.

The body appears to have mysteriously disappeared, but the group follows a suspicious blood trail leading back into the woods. As they walk, they hear the grinding clank of old moving gears. "There's that sound again!" Kidonia exclaims urgently. "That was the sound I was telling you about." As if in a trance, Etherean pointed in a direction catty-corner to the blood trail "It came from over there…" At this, they moved swiftly towards the indicated location. Shortly, they came to a clearing wherein they saw a woman who appeared to be building a highly dangerous contraption. She had long white hair, pale skin and amber eyes. Behind her was a Savannah gnawing on the nose of a corpse lacerated multiple times over with a pick axe.

"What are you doing?" Mot asks cautiously. The young lady looks up at this, smiles and replies "Pickle flishing." Assuaged by this, the group heads back into the trees and delves deeper into its shadowy depths. As they retreat, the girl looks back at the Savannah and says offhandedly, "I wonder if they'll run into those wicked twins…" As if in response, the Savannah looks up and meows despondently. "…Just asking…"

_**Shortly thereafter…**_

"Leapin' Lizards!" Rowena shouts in shock. The sight that greeted their eyes was the utter destruction in the band kids' camp. "I don't think a trombone belongs there…" Etherean states. "And I know that's the wrong way to use a bagpipe…" Kidonia says, pointing to another victim. Mot wanders around, ignoring the bloodied ground, before stopping in front of a headless body. "I wonder what you'd consider this cause of death." Kidonia and Etherean head over, intrigued. "It's 'cymbal'ic of course…" Etherean singsongs with a wry grin. Kidonia nods and adds her own singsong "Approaching a time that is drastic."

Having seen more than enough, the group heads back towards camp with Alice in the lead. Upon reaching the campsite, Alice decided to walk back to town along the roadside. "Maybe someone should've gone with her," Mot says worriedly. "It can't possibly be safe to wander around out here alone." Kidonia sighs and replies, "If you're so worried, maybe you should go after her. She's your sister, after all… And since when did this turn into a horror movie??"

"Maybe since that gore bespattered campsite we came across…" Etherean answers bemusedly. "But I'm quite sure she's alright." Elizabeta nods and adds "She'll be fine, Mot, nothing to worry about." Mot sighs and decides to occupy himself by making lunch.

_**On the roadside…**_

"Town can't be that much farther," Alice says reassuringly to herself. "I'm sure it's right around the corner." As she continues walking, she hears what is assuredly the sound of a car engine getting closer. Energized by this, she speeds up, heading towards the comforting sound. The engine turns out to belong to an orange Corvette, whose driver is a young man with electric blue hair. The car pulls up next to Alice, the driver's side window rolls down, and the driver leans out, his jade green eyes sparkling in the sunlight. "Need a lift, babe?" He asks suavely, causing Alice to blush and giggle. "Yes, please...I need to go into town to use a phone." He nods and replies, "Hop in. If you need to make a call, why don't you use a cell phone?" She shrugs and responds "There's no signal out here."

After checking his phone to confirm this, the young man performs a three-point turn and heads back down the road toward town. After riding down to the shop, they parked in an empty lot next to the shop and get out of the car. "Banzai!" A feminine voice shouts from the treeline, before a hand grenade comes flying towards the Corvette. Draven, being a coward, starts running away, leaving Alice standing by the car in confusion. The hand grenade bounces once on the hood and then explodes, sending shrapnel everywhere. Alice gets a facefull of Corvette shards, while an enormous chunk of steel framework goes flying in Draven's direction. The metallic mass shoves through his spine and rips out through the front of his body, pinning him to a nearby tree. Letting out a grunt of pain, Draven coughs, spraying the tree with his blood, and his head droops as the last vestiges of life leave his mangled body.

Grinning, a young woman with bright white hair steps out from the trees and goes to inspect her work. "I think this would meet with the twins' approbation..." She says, observing Draven from profile. Her Savannah peels away from the shadows and begins to lap up the blood pooling on the ground. "Atropos, stop that...he looks like the kind to be riddled with infectious diseases..." Hearing the roaring sound of the Minor Tool and Gear truck's engine, the woman turns and sets a quick pace away from the carnage ridden field.

As the truck pulls into the garage portion of the shop, a young woman with dark blue eyes and long curly black hair steps out of the shop proper. Stanley gets out of the truck and sighs as the woman comes rushing up to him. "Hi, Nikora..." he says tiredly, before adding "Simon ain't with me..." The girl, Nikora, shrugs and intones excitedly, "Hi, Stanley! What'd you do? Did you kill anyone? What weapon did you use?" Stanley shakes his head and starts walking inside, Nikora following at his heels. "I didn't kill anyone...today. Now you get on home, I've got work to do..." Nikora stops and replies, "Okay! See ya later, Stanley! Tell Simon I said 'hi'!" To which Stanley stares blankly at her before nodding his acquiescence. She grins cheerfully at this and runs happily out of the shop and down the street. Stanley stretches, trying to get the kinks out of his neck, and heads toward a hidden back room. Opening the cleverly disguised door, he reveals a room of decent size containing two large and very comfortable looking beds. Heading to the bed on the left side, Stanley seats himself on its edge and removes his shoes and socks before untucking and removing his shirt. He then flops back on the mattress and almost instantly falls asleep.

A/N: Well, that was a fun chapter to write...all full of death and bloodshed and whatnot...I also just proved that I have a fascination with making one or both of the twins be shirtless...Oh well, I can't help it if I find Crispin Glover and/or his characters sexy...Now for the disheartening list of things I do not own or share rights to: Ozzy Osbourne's song 'Mr. Crowley', the movie/play Annie, Vincent Grisanti's Contemplating Reiko, the band They Might Be Giants, Phineas and Ferb, Addams Family Values, The Crow (for Draven, name only of course...), Chevrolet, the Fates of Greek Mythology and anything else I might have missed. Folks, I'm even poorer now than I was when I started this thing, so please don't sue me. Pickle flishing is a phrase of my own creation. Use only with my express permission or I might have to send you to the B.o.E.S. Ann Thrax is under Spy Moose's copyright, so you'd have to ask her permission for use of it. I'm not making promises on the speed of release for the next chapter, it'll be posted when it bloody well gets posted...This one took me long enough...I am anxious to hear any ideas that people may have for the next chapter...Please R&R.

Justin Kinnard - I guess people can't say they're pure bred wolves, but I was merely meaning the pure bred part...Kidonia does not care about smoking being bad for you, it's a good form of stress relief. I can't tell you why Draven's come after Kidonia, that'd ruin the story line, and maybe he had a towel or something wrapped around him...plus, Kidonia didn't really want to use the knife.

Spy Moose - There be no more because I've been busy doing stuff...hope you enjoy this chapter.

Mrs. Creepy Thin Man - I'm very glad that you liked my story, I'm happy to provide you with a Simon Says fanfic... I also tried to locate one after I first watched it, there's so much material there to work with, after all...And as far as your P.S. goes, he won't be your in this fic, anyway...sorry...lol

~Kidonia


	8. Tying Up Loose Ends

Dangerous Men, Dark Deeds Chapter 5

A/N: Hi there guys! Long time no post, huh? The muses have decided to give me a few months of writer's block with very little inspiration to try and break it. I'll do my best to get the next few out quicker, but I'm still not promising anything. And now we'll move on to the story.

As a great actress once said…

"We must all be together when Mr. Sun paints us a new day with his golden brush…"

Disclaimer – I do not now nor have I ever owned the rights to Simon Says. Anything else I use will be at the end, as usual.

"I still don't see why I get stuck with dish duty!" Alice whined while glaring at Kidonia, who was perched on a rock in the middle of the river. Kidonia gives a half-hearted grin and replies, "Two reasons: One, you hardly do anything else to help out and two, because you bitch the most and I love to make you miserable." To which Alice huffed and muttered, "That sounds like three reasons…"

"It can sound like as many reasons as she wants it to, but the point is still the same…" A voice states from the treeline, "Keep scrubbing!" With a smile, the female steps into the midday sun, "Right, Kidonia?" Quirking an eyebrow, Kidonia stares at the figure for a while before shouting out, "Branwen, where the heck have you been hiding?" and proceeds to jump her way across the well placed rocks back to the bank. When she reaches solid ground, she hugs Branwen close to her before excitedly leading her to the camp saying, "You can tell us all back at camp, lunch should be ready when we get there."

_**At the shop…**_

Stanley sits up in his bed, wondering what his next scheme should be. While he ruminates on this, Simon gets up and yawns mightily as he stretches his well-rested frame. "I didn't like how our last customer was talking…Simon says he needs to learn respect the hard way…" He then wanders out towards the front to get some breakfast.

After looking around, Simon decides to head to the food storage compartment in the cooler. After avoiding bumping into any trophies from their previous 'games', he opens a door in one of the shadowy corners and walks in. He finally chooses a package of bacon and grabs a small sheet of metal to cook it on, along with a spatula.

Simon then proceeds outside and to the back of the shop, where, to his surprise, a fire is already burning cheerfully. Sitting on the opposite side of the fire is a young woman whose indigo eyes gleamed with mirth and adoration. Simon, who had been standing still for almost a whole minute in shock, shakes his head and says "Morning, Nikora…"

Nikora hops to her feet and rushes to Simon's side, "Hiya, Simon! Let me help ya make breakfast…" He fixes a glare on her before replying, "I can do it myself…" She begins to pout, grabs the package of bacon and says, "At least let me help you get stuff ready!" Sighing, Simon nods his acquiescence and Nikora immediately organizes the entire area around the fire pit.

While Simon prepares the morning meal, Nikora moves on to picking up and sorting out the various objects scattered about. While she is doing this, she is taking a few objects to try her hand at creating an implement of death. Stanley walks out and sits beside Simon, setting three plates on the ground on his other side. "Simon, I don't want ya doin' anything rash about that freak what came into the shop yesterday. Find out what he might be plannin' first." Simon lowers his head and lets out a deep sigh before straightening up and nodding. "I don't like it either, Simon, but he ain't done nothin' wrong…" Stanley continues. Simon glances over and darkly mutters, "Yet…"

_**Back at camp…**_

"So that's where you've been!" Mot exclaims. "Decided to go camping by yourself, eh? Maybe I should've come with you…" Alice says somewhat snarkily. "You're one of the ones I didn't want to be around, you useless prat!" Branwen says. Etherean chuckles darkly with her nose buried in a copy of 'Mister B. Gone' by Clive Barker, "I don't blame you Bran…there were a few unpleasant moments here and there."

"What does that mean, Eth?" Alexei asks incredulously. "No one is allowed to call her that without express permission beforehand, Alexei!" Kidoniahalf-shouts at him, taking quick steps and jabbing him painfully with the last four words. "And I believe she means dealing with idiotic remarks and insults from Alice and Tori." Etherean nods and shrugs nonchalantly as Alice shoots a glare at her.

At Kidonia's mention, Branwen queries, "Speaking of which, where is Tori?" Alice, Mot, Alexei, and Leander look around and shake their heads. Alexei speaks for the rest of them; "We haven't seen her since before lunch yesterday, when Kidonia here," at which he points and glares accusingly, "pissed her off."

"She went storming off into the woods right after Kidonia drove down to that stupid shop run by those morons…" Leander adds with little animosity. Branwen looks at Leander and then looks at Kidonia, noting the dark look in the latter's eyes, before saying as peacefully as possible, "Maybe we should go look for her…y'know, make sure she didn't get lost or something…"

Kidonia looks over at Etherean and they both shrug and simultaneously say "Sure…Why not?" Etherean hops up and says "Jinx, you owe me a soda!" and taps Kidonia on the shoulder with her book before heading to her tent and putting the book inside. "Let's bring Enki and Deimos along, they should be able to find her scent trail." Kidonia suggests and then calls out, "Enki! Deimos!"

The wolves come up from the river at a jog and sit down at her feet. "Someone go get something of hers for them to scent from." She says just before Mot heads over, grabs a sock, and walks back. He kneels down beside Kidonia and holds the sock towards the black and silver canines while Etherean tells them, "Take a sniff and find her trail, boys."

_**Shortly thereafter…**_

Enki, who is scenting at the lead, looks up and barks excitedly before taking off at a much quicker pace, Deimos at his heels. Surprised by the burst of speed, the wolves get a fair lead before the campers start running as well. Kidonia stops short at the sight of the wolves sitting patiently in front of a bush. Everyone except for Etherean run into each other trying to slow down, but Mot, being in front of everyone else, gets shoved before he regains his balance.

As he falls, he hits Kidonia and she slips in the patch of blood she didn't realize was underfoot, falling face first through the bush. As the ground approaches, she throws her hands out to catch herself, one landing on a clean patch of earth; the other lands on something cold, squishy, and wet. "Anyone back there want to pay more attention next time?" She shouts before pushing herself into a sitting position.

_**Some other clearing in the forest…**_

Simon was doing as his brother had told him, keeping an eye on the new visitor and trying to find out what he wanted with HIS Kidoniaand her red-haired friend. There hadn't been much difficulty finding him, a brightly colored vehicle paired with such an eccentric individual was as easy to find as a corpse in a graveyard.

Draven looked around, certain that someone was watching him; however, he didn't see anything but the trees and bushes. "I'm just imagining things, not too surprising since I'm stoked about getting my revenge. That bitch thinks she can get away with humiliating me like that? I don't think so…" He rants reassuringly to himself, before setting up a rather pathetic looking tent and getting a sleeping bag out of the passenger's seat. "Vengeance may be swift, but for proper revenge…that takes time to plan out."

Eyes widening slightly as he realizes the meaning behind the nearly senseless utterances of the blue-haired one, Simon uses his camo-suit to greatest advantage and moves to the side of the camp closest to where Kidonia and her…friends…were set up. 'I'll wait here…"

_**Back at the other clearing…**_

The rest of the campers carefully make their way to where Kidonia was situated, but stop when she gasps sharply. "What is it, Kidonia?" Mot asks worriedly. She clenches her hand, lifts it towards him, and opens it palm up; showing him what her hand had settled on. Etherean leans in the closest and asks "A chunk of flesh? What's that doing here?" Kidonia shrugs and flips it over with her other hand, "That mark looks really familiar, though…"

Alexei, who is looking a little ill, leans closer to see the mark she was referring to. "I know that mark! That's the same tattoo Tori has...on...her...arm..." He then proceeds to vomit on the downward slope of the hill. "Wait a minute…" Alice proclaimed, "Weren't you the one who said you were 'just waiting for her to go to pieces'?" At this everyone, with the exclusion of Kidonia, turns horrified stares on Etherean.

"Woah, woah…That was not the way I meant it!" she shouts, offended by their assumptions. Kidonia steps between the two parties and says, "Let's just go back to camp and we will discuss any further issues like adults." They let out a collective sigh and begin trudging back to camp. Enki and Deimos, who had been waiting patiently, flank Etherean as though they were bodyguards.

When they arrived back at camp, they sat down and waited for Kidonia to make the fire so they could have lunch. "Do you still have a pack of cigarettes in your glove compartment, Kidonia?" Branwen asks tiredly. Kidonia stares briefly at her and nods, muttering "Lighter's in there too…"

After preparing the ingredients and mixing them in the pot, she stands up and says, "I'm gonna go for a walk…I need to be alone for a bit." As she starts to walk off, she stops by the Blazer and pulls a cigarette from the pack being held by Branwen and lights it before walking casually into the trees.

_**Five minutes later…**_

Kidonia meanders through the woods, enjoying the tranquility of nature, when suddenly she hears someone softly call her name. "Kidonia…" The voice repeats, slightly louder this time. She turns toward the voice and sees Simon, partially hidden by the shadows and a handmade outfit clearly designed for camouflaging the wearer. "Simon?" She begins, speaking at a normal volume, "What are you…" As she starts to question him, he suddenly motions for her to stop. "Shh…. It ain't safe 'round here…" Kidoniaquirks an eyebrow at himand asks, slightly softer, "Another tripwire trap?" Simon shakes his head and motions for her to come closer to him. "I'll show ya," He says, "But ya gotta come over here so he won't see ya…" She has a look of sheer confusion plain on her face, but decides to trust him and steps over to him. He points towards a clearing approximately a dozen yards away, "There…" he says. From her angle, Kidonia can't quite see whom, or what is in the clearing, so she moves yet closer to Simon. Leaning over to get a better view, her hair brushing against the bare skin of his hand and forearm, she finally sees the figure he's pointing to. From this distance, the most obvious details of the person is their tanned skin, electric blue hair and their clothing, which is a bright orange shirt and arctic camo pants. Alarm bells begin going off in her head as the word, "Draven…" slips from her lips in a gasp of shock and dismay.

As if hearing his name spoken, Draven turns suddenly and stares intently at the trees, which are hiding Kidonia and Simon from his view. "I'll find her yet…And this time she'll stay mine, forever." He begins laughing darkly as his mind provides him with a bevy of ideas on how to get her back. Sparing only a single glance back up to the trees, he turns and strides away into the woods, all his attention devoted to seeking her out.

Kidoniashudders fearfully as she hears the laughter that's haunted her since that fateful day two years back. As the laughter fades away, she chances another look at the clearing. Upon seeing that it is now empty, she drops to her knees, paying no attention to the fact that she was kneeling on a patch of damp soil. As tears begin rolling down the smooth expanse of her alabaster skin, Simon crouches beside her, clearly at a loss as to how he could make this better. "I think he means to hurt ya…" he says, trying to find words to bring back the strong woman he knows is inside her, "I figured I should warn ya…" At this, she looks up at him in shock. "How long have you known? How long has he been here?" She asks, a frantic tinge clear in her voice. He looks at her with worry clearly shining in his sky blue eyes, "Only since yesterday afternoon…" She turns to him more fully and wraps her arms around his midsection while burying her head into the crook of his shoulder. Her tears begin staining the edge of his camo suit and the pure white of the thermal he has on underneath it. He hesitates somewhat and reciprocates the hug rather nervously, his hands playing slightly in her silky soft hair. They stay like this for almost five minutes before Kidonia's tears finally stop. As she enjoys the feeling of safety that she gets from being wrapped in Simon's warm arms, she notices the feeling of his hands combing through her hair.

"Sorry about all this…" she says, her voice muffled slightly from the cloth covering his shoulder. She lifts her head and pulls back, just before they both hear the crunch of footsteps approaching. They both shift into more comfortable sitting positions right before Etherean steps into view. "Hey, guys. What's going on?" She asks, more to Kidonia than Simon. "Not much, Eth, but the prestoopnik is wandering around these woods…" Kidonia responds, seeming much calmer than she was just minutes before. Etherean adopts a look of minor confusion and, just as quick, turns to Simon and asks him, "How's your brother?" Staring at her in mild confusion, he responds "Just fine and I'll be sure ta tell 'im ya asked after him…"

_**At the main camp…**_

Mot was sitting by the campfire, stirring a pot of stew, which was to be lunch, when Kidonia and Etherean walked back into camp. They were whispering emphatically, with the occasional odd hand gesture tossed in, seemingly for humor's sake. "Hey guys, what's up with the secretive act?" Alice asked, bounding towards them, practically bursting with teenage energy and mirth. "What if I said it was the death of a relative?" Etherean queried, slipping back into her normal, morbid self.

"We were just discussing something from the past…" Kidonia semi-elaborates. "Nothing to worry yourselves over." The two girls then walk over and help themselves to some stew. As they're eating, Etherean leans over and says; "You know what this might mean, right?" Kidonia glances over at her and nods grimly before finishing off her stew.

_**Out in the woods…**_

Nikora was doing her best to make sure she had everything set up correctly for her trap. "Not quite up to their genius standards, but it'll do…" she says as she lays out the trip lines. She then grins and runs off to set up another device of her own creation.

_**At the shop…**_

"And you're sure about this, Simon?" Stanley queries indecisively. "He was talking 'bout getting revenge on 'that bitch'…" Simon replies, adding, "And when I showed himto Kidonia…" Here Stanley jumps up and shouts, "You did WHAT? You put her and her friends in danger just by letting her get that close!" Simon shrinks back abashed, before continuing, "I made sure it was safe. But she…she recognized him, said his name an' everything. Then…she started…cryin'" Stanley sighs and shakes his head, "Since ya found out he's plannin' to do harm to her, and I doubt it'd end there 'specially since he mentioned Etherean and their pets, you can do what ya want with 'im." Simon grins manically at this, looking like a sadistic version of a kid in a candy shop.

He then jaunts off with a crude drawing to make his new device. As he gets closer to his intended location, he notices a tripwire that he's sure neither he nor his brother set up. He follows the simplistic layout of the trap until he sees a rope with a bottle full of liquid tied to it. Before he could give any thought to disarming it, a rustling behind him draws his attention. Nikora stumbles out from behind a bush laughing, but stops as she catches sight of Simon. "Uh...Hi...Simon..." she says, blushing profusely "Did ya make this?" Simon asks, pointing to the trap he was studying moments before. "Do you...like it? I followed the basic outline from your pickaxe trap to make it." She responds, shuffling her feet nervously and playing with the hem of her black mesh-and-cloth t-shirt. Simon turns and gives it a critical eye, realizing that it is indeed much like the swinging pickaxe design, before replying "I suppose it's alright...'specially for a first try." At this, she smiles brightly and he continues, "Good job." before patting on the shoulder, prouder of her capabilities than he'd ever actually admit. She grins, gives him a brief but strong bear hug, and runs off the way that she came, still blushing. Simon shrugs at her odd yet expected behavior before heading off, set to make his own trap.

_**Back at the main camp...**_

After discussing their grievances, Alice stands up and storms off in a huff. Branwen stares off after her and says, "I guess I'm gonna head back over to my camp, guys...Just have the wolves come find me when it's time to go back home." Alexei jumps up and exclaims, "I think it's really not safe for you to go alone, so I'll come with you!" She sighs and shrugs before beginning to walk away, Alexei following right behind.

As they're walking, Branwen turns and asks, "If it's not safe to be alone, how safe will you be going back?" Alexei shrugs and replies, "I'll just follow this path back, it shouldn't be too difficult…"

_**Five minutes later…**_

Alexei sighs in defeat and mutters, "I shouldn't have gone without someone else to help me get back…" Little does he know that Nikorahas just finished making her other device and is quite eager to test it. She spots Alexei walking along and smirks as she pulls the trigger. The box-shaped contraption shoots out a metal disc, and it speeds towards its unsuspecting victim. Unfortunately, the design had some minor flaws and when the disc got shot out, a gear slipped loose and fell, clanking against the other interior components.

Alexei stops and starts looking for the source of the sound and, as he turned to the left, got a face full of metal. Overjoyed by the success of her device, Nikora leaped up and down, laughing as she did so.

_**Elsewhere…**_

Alice, who had been wandering aimlessly, heard Nikora's laughter and decided to walk away from it. As she walks, she doesn't notice the feel of a wire giving way under her foot. What does confuse her is the twang of the wire hitting the tree trunk. She calls out, "Who's there?" but with no response she turns to move on in a new direction. A large bottle was speeding towards her and she screams in terror moments before the bottle smashes into her face. The bottle was filled with sulfuric acid, and the glass of the container was weak enough that contact with a solid object at its speed would shatter it.

Alice, who was screaming out of fear, is now just screaming. She runs blindly off into the forest and falls into a pit trap that happens to be mercifully spikeless, but the fall was bad enough that, upon landing, the sickening wet crunch of a bone breaking was heard. Shortly thereafter, Etherean was walking along, Deimos following as her guard. She stops at the edge of a strange hole and looks down, seeing Alice in there.

"It puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again…" Etherean quotes darkly. Alice, who was blinded by the acid, stares blankly upward and asks worriedly, "Etherean, is that you?" The response is a laugh followed by, "No, sorry, just your friendly neighborhood serial killer…Of course it's me, idiot!"

"Etherean, please, help me get out of here… I think one of my legs is broken…" Alice pleads, too overcome with pain to care about anything else. Etherean grins evilly, repeating her earlier phrase, "It puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again." Alice feels blindly around the pit before shouting, "There is no lotion, what the hell are going on about? Just help me get out of here you...you...poopyhead!" At this, Etherean looks befuddled, before saying, "On that note, I'm leaving..." Alice calls out to her once more, "Please, don't go! I'm sorry about the stupid insult...Help me, Eth." A snarl twists Etherean's features into a semi-demonic mask. "No one calls me that without clearance to do so. You have sealed your fate… 'Bye!" She then turns and walks off, muttering, "Deimos, lead the way back to camp."

The wolf is quick to comply with his mistress's order, even as he cleverly leads her swerving through any pesky traps.

_**Elsewhere…**_

Simon was putting the last touches on what was, to him at least, his greatest masterpiece, when he looks up, just in time to see Draven walk back into his camp. Draven was bedraggled and exhausted from running through the forest searching for Kidonia. He was not disheartened, however, because there were times when he could swear he'd heard her voice, just to get more lost when he tried to follow it. Simon grins, it was finally complete, and all he has left to do is bring Kidonia back, it being as much a victory for him as it was for her.

_**Back at the main camp…**_

Kidonia was glumly reading a copy of 'Lunatic Café' by Laurell K. Hamilton, when, without any justification, she let out a large sneeze. Shaking her head, she closes the book and goes to get another Mountain Dew from her cooler. While she was up by the Blazer, she decided to have another smoke, so she got the whole pack and the lighter out and brought it back to her seat. After she finished her can of soda and was halfway through with her cigarette, she heard rustling from the bushes next to her.

As she looks towards the sound, Simon steps out of the woods and beckons for her to stand up. She does so, taking a drag of her cigarette after she complies, and blowing the smoke over one shoulder. By this point, everyone realizes they have a visitor, but all Simon says is, "Come with me…" indicating Kidonia, before turning and taking a few steps. Leander calls out, "Kidonia, how can we be sure you're safe with him? Maybe he's the killer!"

Kidonia and Simon both glare at him and she replies, "I trust him, and I doubt that he could be responsible for all of these disappearances." She then proceeds to follow him into the forest, grabbing his right hand in her left and lacing their fingers before they left eyesight. Simon, who had been blushing the whole way, even after she relinquished her hold on his hand, finally stops in front of what appears to be a modified ballista.

Since it was already loaded, he added his final touch; a small jar filled with carver ants, a full salt shaker, a Mason jar filled with lemon and lime juice, and a bottle of Jack Daniel's. While he does this, Kidonia takes a chance to look around at the campsite. Seeing that the camp is apparently empty, she heads down to do some damage to his 'precious car', not realizing Simon's plan. She grins as she walks up to the orange corvette and pulls out her pocketknife. She then opens it and draws the blade down the sides of the vehicle, drawing a number of symbols as she goes. As she gets done with the passenger side, a voice calls out, "Hey there, Kidi…"

Kidonia freezes, her pocketknife sliding, forgotten, to the ground. Draven swaggers up to her and runs his hand down her cheek, "It's been quite some time…" Kidonia jerks back and turns to run, but Draven catches her arm and twists it painfully. As she cries out, he pulls her towards him roughly. "You aren't getting away this time, I have plans for you!" He then catches her lips in a fierce kiss before licking upward across her scar, laughing as she shudders in revulsion.

Upon seeing this, Simon growls fiercely and is about to spring into action, but before he can, he is pulled back. When he turns to see who stopped him, he is shocked to lay eyes on Stanley. "What…?" Is all Simon can manage before Stanley puts a finger against his own lips and points towards the camp.

"Hey, asshole!" A very pissed off voice calls out from the edge of the trees. Spinning around quickly, Draven sees Etherean standing at the back end of his car, pick axe in hand. A Cheshire grin graces her features as she swings the pick axe and busts the driver's side window before drawing back for another blow. "You bitch!" he shouts, enraged, "You just wrecked a thousand dollar custom made window job!" She tilts her head and says, "You paid one thousand dollars for a custom job on this ugly thing? I'd give you seventy-five cents for the whole thing, including the pickaxe in the roof!"

"There's no pickaxe in the roof of my car…" Draven replies, aggravated. "There's not?" Kidonia asks, catching on to Etherean's ploy. Etherean grins yet again and responds, "Well, I'll just have to fix that then…" before raising the pickaxe and burying it to the hilt in the top of the orange Corvette. Letting loose a wordless shout of rage, Draven pulls a gun from an inner pant holster and aims for Etherean. Before he can pull the trigger, Kidonia grabs for his arm and jerks it downward, causing he to let off a shot into Etherean's leg. As she falls, Draven turns and backhands Kidonia. "You shouldn't grab at me like that when I'm trying to shoot and kill your friends, honey…"

Lying stunned on the ground, Kidonia sweeps an arm out to gain purchase. Her hand lands on a length of rope that was lying innocuously on the ground. Looking from it to Draven and back again, she smirks at the idea running through her mind. She grabs the rope up and makes a lasso, sweeping it around and throwing it at Draven, tightening it as it slides down his torso. "Hold on a second, baby…" she says, putting her acting skills to work. "Don't you wanna have some fun with me first?" Looking slightly confused at first, he turns around and grins, replying "Of course, hun… what did you have in mind?"

Simon and Stanley both have looks of sheer confusion on their faces at Kidonia's change in demeanor. "I thought ya said she was scared and started cryin' when she saw him…" Simon nods his head and responds, "She was…I don't understand…"

Wanting nothing more than to vomit for what she was about to do, Kidonia puts on a seductive grin and speaks up demurely, "I just wanna give you some pleasure…" Draven smirks victoriously, allowing Kidonia to pull him towards her with the lasso. "How'd you wanna do that?" Kidonia gives one more tug on the rope, bringing him directly in front of her and, according to plan, the tree in the middle of the clearing. She leans up and places a chaste kiss on his lips, murmuring, "With just a bit of…bondage." She waggles her eyebrows at him and asks, sounding almost scared of rejection, "Don't you remember how much I used to like that?"

"You do whatever you need to, Kidi, if it'll get you in the mood…" she smiles and wraps the rope around the trunk and tying his free arm behind his back and looping the rope around the trunk once more before tying it as tight as she can. She leans back up and brushes her lips across his ear and whispers, "Comfy?" He smirks down at her lustfully and replies, "Very."

She then takes two steps back, as if to inspect her work, before allowing her disgust and hatred to show clearly on her face. "Bondage was always more your kink than mine…" And, with that, she stalks off to the edge of camp, picking up her pocketknife on the way. She gives him a final glare before shouting out, "Rave, I hate you, go and die!"

Simon grins maniacally, and starts aiming his trap as Stanley walks off to pick up Etherean and Kidonia comes running up to Simon, exhilarated. As he turns towards her, she throws her arms around his shoulders and pulls him down for a kiss. "How was that for acting, Simon?" she asks, grinning joyously. He stares down at her and queries, "So…you don't like him?" She stares at him blankly for a few seconds and then shakes her head fiercely. "Of course not! That bastard was the one who gave me this." She replies, running her fingers across the scar.

Simon turns and looks back at the camp, where Stanley has just picked up Etherean and starts carrying her away. "Let me down, dammit!" Etherean screams, punching Stanley's shoulder weakly. He sighs and looks down at her, shaking his head. "We gotta get the bullet outta your leg…It might get infected…" She continues to thrash and throw punches, but passes out shortly after they enter the treeline.

Simon double checks his trajectory and beckons Kidonia over. She walks over, confused, as Simon places her hand on the trigger and puts his on top of it. He smiles lightly at her and as she smiles back, he pushes both their hands downward, firing the projectile. She stares in shock and shudders at the meaty thunk of it hitting its target. Turning towards him, she stares questioningly before shouting "Why did you do that? Make me help you do that?" Simon looks at her apologetically, begging her without words to understand. Finally, he sighs and says, "I wanted ya to be free of that creep…"

"Free?" She asks rhetorically. "Free…at last…" She begins laughing, almost hysterically, and stares at Draven's mangled corpse. 'I've been hiding from him for so long, I don't know what to do with this much freedom…' She turns to Simon expectantly, "How should we celebrate?" He smiles and grabs hold of her hand before replying, "However you want…" She gives him a huge Cheshire grin and wraps her arms around his neck, passionately kissing him. "That's a start…" she says, before taking his hand again. "Let's go back to the shop…I want to see how Etherean's doing…"

_**Back at the shop...**_

If anyone wanted to question Stanley, the look of steely determination as he dug out the bullet and various pieces of debris lodged in the wound would've silenced them. Giving it a thorough once over, he deemed it satisfactory and began wrapping it. When he was almost done, Etherean stirred and sat up, wincing at the pain that shot through her leg. She had the decency to look abashed as Stanley fixes her with a nonplussed stare before taping up the gauze. "You're gonna hafta take it easy, 'cause the bullet did a lotta damage."

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Kidonia's voice rings out from the shop's front room. Simon murmurs, "Just...follow me..." and heads towards the back. Following closely, she is amazed to find a makeshift clinic and gives a sigh of relief when she sees Etherean sitting up on a cot in the corner. Glancing around, she spots Stanley standing in front of a sink, washing off some bloody equipment and walks over to him. "Thank you..." Kidonia says respectfully. He turns and gives her a blank look, lips twitching upwards in a smile after a few seconds. "Ya woulda done the same for me and my brother."

Nodding, Kidonia walks over to the cot and queries, "How are you feeling, Eth?" Etherean looks up at her and replies, "Pretty good, considering I recently got shot by your psycho ex..." Kidonia grimaces at the reminder of what happened, giving a start when Etherean presses her for more information. "What happened after I ...left?" Shaking her head, Kidonia says enigmatically, "Don't worry, everything's been taken care of..."

Stanley glances at his brother and then at Kidonia and Etherean before inquiring, "So, uh…what's gonna happen next?"

A/N: Finally finished with this chapter! And now for the list of things I don't own: Mister B. Gone by Clive Barker, The Crow(for Draven[name only]), A Clockwork Orange, Silence of the Lambs, Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, Mountain Dew, Chevrolet, Jack Daniel's, Alice in Wonderland, Grease, Little Shop of Horrors, Repo! The Genetic Opera(boy, do I ever wish I did), or anything else I might've missed. Stay tuned for the next update, I think you'll all get a kick out of it...

Spy Moose - Will that be violent or non-violent pickle flishing? And I'm glad that you enjoy the start of chapter seven, it was fun to write.

Raichu234 - Thank you very much, dear. Hope you enjoy this chapter at least as much as the rest of the story.

FaithfullyFallen417 - Well, I live to serve and I have heard from other people that I have helped them in their search for Simon Says fanfiction. That would be awesome, the more fanfiction the better I say. I've had a few ideas that I can't figure out how to write myself. I will gladly continue writing, I am very eager to get started on the next faux chapter, it's been building up in my head for about 3 months now(maybe longer).

~Kidonia


	9. Much Ado About Monster Trucks

Dangerous Men, Dark Deeds Faux Chapter 4

Much Ado About Monster Trucks

A/N: Hey guys, this has been a long time coming, but I got distracted and finally got my muse back. I hope this is as good as, if not better than my previous work. This, as your should know by now, is a faux chapter, so let's get to what the gang isn't really up to…

Disclaimer: I do not own Simon Says, any other copyrighted material will be listed at the end of the chapter.

As a great actor once said…

"It's gonna be a bloodbath."

Kidonia and Simon were sitting by the river enjoying a picnic-style lunch. "So…you lost your parents when you were younger?" she asked, glad to be learning more about the shy man. "Yeah…" Simon replied, "Stanley and I don't like ta talk 'bout it much…" Kidonia nodded, "I understand… I lost my dad when I was a kid and talking about it or him in general, hurts…" He turned to stare at her in shock, "We…both know the pain of loss, then…" Simon stated slowly before leaning closer, intending to kiss her. Kidonia reciprocated the gesture, their lips a hairsbreadth from touching, when he suddenly licks a slobbery trail from her chin to her hairline.

As she jerks back and wipes at her face, she looks up and sees only the inside of her tent and a cheerful looking Enki, complete with madly wagging tail. "Always when I'm having a good dream!" She mutters, shaking her head. "It just wouldn't be funny if it were any other time, would it?" To which Enki barks and turns to look at the tent door. "Yeah, yeah…out you go." Kidonia says wryly, reaching over to unzip the flap and watching the silver wolf dart out towards the tree line.

After eating breakfast, Kidonia and Etherean decided to go for a leisurely stroll through the woods. "So…between Simon and Stanley, which do you think is cuter?" Kidonia asks, attempting to affect an air of nonchalance. Glancing at her from the corner of her eyes, Etherean queries, "You do realize they're identical twins, right?" To which Kidonia grins sheepishly, "Yeah, I know… But they have different personalities and that's where I was going with the question."

Etherean sighs and says, "I'd say Stanley…Bet you're thinking Simon, though!" Kidonia huffs and replies childishly, "Am not!" Etherean grins and retorts with an, "Are too!"

"Am not!"

"So totally are!"

"Not times infinity!"

"Oh, yes you are! You're blushing and everything!"

"I am not! And even if I was, I don't have to explain it…I have a monster truck!"

"Oh, yeah? Where is it?"

As they continue their playful argument, they fail to notice that they've wandered into a recently abandoned campsite. Suddenly, Etherean trips over a forgotten sleeping bag. Kidonia leans down to help her up and, as Etherean is brushing dirt and leaves from her clothing, Kidonia notices the monstrous truck seemingly abandoned along with the campsite. "There it is…" She states, pointing at it. "There what is?" Etherean asks tersely. "My monster truck." Kidonia replies.

"Don't much care for the color…" Etherean remarks, almost offhandedly, as she stares at the lurid yellow abomination. "Color ain't everything, ya know!" Kidonia replies, before laughing at how much that sounded like something one of the twins would say. She then walks over to the driver's side before trying the door. "Jackpot!" She exclaims at finding the truck unlocked. "I wonder who would bring a monster truck on a camping trip…Or, better yet, who would leave a monster truck in the woods?" Etherean asks as Kidonia digs around in the cab, searching for the keys. As she glances at the steering column, she finds her prize and leans out, dangling them between thumb and forefinger, replying, "I dunno, but they left their keys, so it's ours now!"

Etherean grins and climbs in the passenger side before responding, "Possession is nine-tenths of the law…"

Meanwhile, near the shop…

The blond man screams in pain, writhing against the shackles holding him firmly to the steel table. Grinning maniacally, Simon presses the red-hot poker into the man's flesh yet again. "Why are you doing this?" He yells, agony quite evident in his tone. Stanley, who, until this point, had been leaning silently against the side of their truck, walks up and smirks at the man, replying, "Ya still think you're better'n ev'rybody? Ya sure ain't soundin' so high an' mighty now ya ain't in that big ole truck o' yours…" Another searing press of metal, another scream, this one ending with a ragged sob, "Please, stop! I don't understand!"

Putting the poker back into the flames, Simon stares at the man, his grin slipping into a thin, serious line. "That's the problem…" He says, "Ya don't realize…why I'mma doin' this…" He then wanders over to the wall, perusing the instruments lining it contemplatively. "Maybe if you'd explain-" The guy begins, before being cut off by Stanley, "Shouldn't hafta explain… Shoulda been obvious…" The sound of metal sliding against metal marks Simon's next weapon choice. As he walks back over, he is carrying a blade very similar in appearance to a katana. Glancing between their captive and the blade in his hands, a smile graces his features before he brings the sword arcing around, slicing a thin line across the man's torso. Another arc, the lines meeting in an X now. "Any, uh, last words?" Simon asks, "I'mma getting' bored o' torturin' ya…"

The man struggles against his bonds once more, yelling, "Yeah, don't kill me!" Both Simon and Stanley start laughing at this and Simon reaches for the poker once more. As he levels the point with the middle of the X he made, he chuckles and says, "X marks the spot!" before shoving the poker with all his might into the man's chest. The clunk of metal hitting metal echoes in the small enclosure. The man gives one final jerk before going limp, body sagging against the shackles. Scrunching his face at the acrid smell of boiled blood and burnt hair, Stanley opens the gate-style doors of their tool shed-turned-torture chamber. "Jus' so ya know…" He says, turning to look back at his brother and the mess he made, "You're gonna be tha one ta clean this up."

Back in the monster truck…

The girls had been joyriding around for about an hour now. As they cruise down the low road towards town, Etherean suggests, "How about we go visit Simon and Stanley?" Kidonia replies, "That sounds like fun!" and takes the turn to go into town rather than loop around back to camp. After pulling up to the shop, they get out and knock on the door. Kidonia notices that both signs are flipped to 'Closed' and the door is padlocked. "They must not be here..." She states, feeling rather stupid for stating the obvious. "Those tire tracks look rather fresh, maybe they've got a home or something back there..." Etherean notes and with that, they decide to follow the tracks.

Just as they were about to turn around after not finding anything but the trail and trees, they hear a scream and decide to head towards it. When they round a bend in the tracks, they see a building that looks like nothing so much as a tool shed. They hide just as the doors swing open, revealing Stanley. As he turns around, they hear him say something about cleaning something and step out of the trees. "Clean up what, Stanley?" Etherean asks curiously. Stanley jumps at the sound of her voice and spins around. "A mess..." He says quickly, "Simon knocked some stuff over in tha shed..." Simon walks up, not noticing the company or his brother's nervousness, and queries, "Where should I, uh, dump the body?" Kidonia quirks an eyebrow and says, "A body, eh? Let me guess...you hit a deer..."

Simon looks up when he hears Kidonia's voice as Stanley groans and shakes his head. "Look," he says, "This wasn't how we intended to let y'all know 'bout this side o' me an' Simon...But, since ya prob'ly already guessed it, go ahead an' take a look..." Kidonia and Etherean glance at each other, shrug and carefully enter the shed. As Kidonia passes him, Simon reaches out as if to stop her, but Stanley grabs his arm and shakes his head when Simon looks back at him.

In front of the shop...

A young woman wanders out from the woods on the other side of the shop. In her pale hands, she holds a pipe bomb, which she attaches to the underside of the yellow monster truck. She then beats a hasty retreat, her amber eyes flashing with mischief and ill intent.

Back at the tool shed...

"What the hell? When were you planning on telling us about this?" Kidonia shouts incredulously. "Kidonia..." Simon says softly, regret tingeing his voice, "This is...tha only thing we know...We didn't...wanna scare ya off..." Stanley steps forward, adding his opinion to his brother's with the query, "Would ya have believed us if we'da come right out an' said 'By tha way, we're pickaxe-wielding psychopaths'?" Etherean sighs and replies, "I guess not...we'd probably think you were joking..." Hanging her head in acceptance, Kidonia asks, "How many others, approximately, have you killed?"

His voice cracking with shame and sorrow, Simon responds, "More'n a hundred...includin' some o' your group..." Gasping in shock at the admission, she murmurs a, "We're gonna have to take some time to get used to this information..." Simon steps closer and tries to hold Kidonia's hand "I..." he starts, but she jerks her hand away and says, "No, Simon...I don't wanna hear it!" She and Etherean then head back towards the shop and their newly acquired monster truck. When they get back to the truck, Etherean hops into the driver's seat as per their driving agreement.

As they were heading back towards camp, a young man stepped into the road. "Is that Zac Efron?" Etherean asks. After they run him down with a thunk and a splatter of blood, Kidonia says, "Well…it **was**…" She then stops and they laugh maniacally at their exploit. They decide they should get out and check for damage. They begin by looking over the sides and head to the front, where they notice a dent and a small, round object lodged in the grate. "That's an eye, right?" Kidonia queries, staring intently at it. Etherean studies it briefly and states, "I'll get a stick…" before walking towards the trees at the edge of the road. Within a few minutes, she returns with two decent sized branches and hands one to Kidonia. They spend the next few minutes taking turns poking at it until an overzealous jab by Etherean pierces the membrane. "Eww…Zac Efron's vitreous humour…" She states and tosses her stick to one side and they decide to get back to camp. When they restart the truck, Simon and Stanley come walking onto the road towards them. Glancing at Kidonia, Etherean puts the truck in gear and floors it, intending to scare the but the brakes jam up and the truck barrels over them.

Etherean takes her foot off the gas and lets the truck slow down on its own on the uphill road. "I know that we weren't too pleased with them keeping their sordid past from us, but-" Kidonia says, but before she can finish her sentence, Etherean lets out a shout of, "I didn't mean to do that! Zac Efron, yes, but not Simon and Stanley!" Shaking, she slumps down in the seat and heaves a weary sigh. "The brakes jammed up and I couldn't stop…"

"It was an accident…you couldn't have known that would happen." Kidonia replies reassuringly, patting her shoulder. After they recover some modicum of composure, they continue on their way back to camp. When they arrived, everyone began asking questions. "So, let me see if I got this straight…" Mot begins, "You found the monster truck in an abandoned campsite, went into town and found out that Simon and Stanley were murderous psychopaths. -" Kidonia cut in, "NOT psychopaths as in wanting everyone dead, it was just the lifestyle they know and had grown accustomed to…" "Then proceeded to run down a fairly well known young actor and said psychopaths before coming back here."

Sighing, Etherean repeated for what seemed like the fiftieth time, "I didn't intentionally hit Simon and Stanley, the brakes wouldn't work…" Kidonia merely replies, "Except for the error which Eth pointed out, that's about right." As everyone else talks amongst themselves about this turn of events, Kidonia and Etherean walk the few feet to the Blazer and start nursing a couple of cigarettes.

"Hey!" Rowena exclaims, "Does anyone else hear that strangely catchy ticking?" Elizabeta, Branwen, and Mot all fall silent before agreeing that they hear it. Kidonia and Etherean share a worried look as they confirm the moment's familiarity before jumping into the Blazer and speeding away in a cloud of gravel and dirt. As they make it to the bottom of the road, they hear an explosion and spot a large plume of smoke rising through the trees.

"So…what do you think is gonna happen now?" Kidonia asks tremulously. Etherean chuckles nervously and shrugs in response. Suddenly, a purple chicken and a green ocelot leap onto the hood of the Blazer and begin doing the Time Warp. "If the police question us…" Etherean murmurs conspiratorially, "We're leaving this part out, agreed?" Kidonia nods vigorously, replying, "I doubt even the craziest drunk would believe this anyway…"

A/N: Well, wasn't that bizarre and confusing? The torture victim's name was Danny Anderson, by the way… Yet again, we come to the part where I list the things I don't own but borrowed for this chapter: Phineas and Ferb, Repo! The Genetic Opera, just about every pirate or treasure based movie/book/show, Potter Puppet Pals, is Zac Efron copyrighted material?, Chevrolet, and Rocky Horror Picture Show. Remember, please read and review…reviews make me happy, like a hit of Zydrate does for a Z-addict…

Cheers,  
~Kidonia

P.S. - Please...any comments, flames, criticism, or gushing about how good anything was in here would be great. I need some encouragement here, so if you have some ideas or if you'd like to have a character please either PM me or leave a review telling me so.


	10. New Knowledge And A Deeper Understanding

A/N: Hello and welcome to the new chapter of Dangerous Men, Dark Deeds. I'm not going to say much other than the usual tripe of "Sorry about the wait...blah, blah, blah...don't read this if you're squeamish...blah, blah, blah..." In any case, I am running out of ideas, so if you've got requests/ideas/etc. feel free to let me know... Hope you like this one because it was a fair headache to write.

Disclaimer: I don't own Simon Says. Do you think I'd be writing a fanfic if I did? Didn't think so... All other copyrighted material is listed at the bottom as usual.

As a great actor once said:

"It is a laser capable of emitting a beam of pure antimatter..."

Etherean shrugs and replies, "I guess we'll just head back up to our camp..." She then hops off the cot, hisses in pain and jumps back up. Stanley immediately rushes over to check on her injury and, after inspecting and rewrapping it, he looks up at her and says in a no-nonsense tone, "You're a-gonna hafta stay here for a week or so...I wanna see ya get healed right..." Groaning, Etherean flops back on the cot and mutters a sulky sounding "Fine..."

Kidonia chuckles ad shakes her head, "Don't worry, I'll get your personal stuff and bring it down for you." As she starts walking out, Simon rushes to catch up and impulsively grabs her hand. When she turns to look at him, he tugs her in the opposite direction and hits the switch to open the door to his and Stanley's room. He walks into the room and Kidonia follows him curiously, looking around in wonder at the large, strangely decorated chamber. Simon goes to sit on the queen size bed on the right side of the room while she is distracted. When she finishes gazing at the weapons hanging on the walls, she turns and sees him sitting on a sky blue sheeted bed and goes to sit next to him.

"So…" she begins, almost nervously, "This is your room?" Simon nods, softly amending her statement, "Mine 'n Stanley's…" Staring blankly at the wall in front of him, he musters up his confidence before asking, "D'ya-wanna-stay-too?" Kidonia turns to him and queries, sounding rather confused, "What was that?" Simon gulps audibly and says at a much slower pace, "I…I said…D'ya…wanna stay too? …Err…y'know, since yer friend is here an' all…" She reaches over, squeezes his hand reassuringly, and smiles before replying, "Sure…I mean, if you wouldn't mind…"

"Ya know…" Stanley says, walking into the room, his sudden entrance shocking them both. "We, uh, only have tha two beds," Here, he indicates the bed Kidonia and Simon are sitting on along with the blood red sheeted queen to its left. "An' the cot which Eth'll be occupyin' " Kidonia pauses in thought, shrugs, and responds, "Oh, that's alright, I'll just sleep with Simon…"

"W-What?" Simon splutters, a deep blush spreading across his cheeks. "Err…I meant share your bed…" Kidonia replies quickly, blushing as well, at the double entendre in her phrase, "If you don't mind, that is…I could just go back up to my campsite if it's not alright." Still blushing profusely, Simon utters a simple, "S'ok wit' me…" Kidonia's face lights up at this and she leans in to brush her lips against his cheek. As she opens her mouth to speak again, they hear a voice call out from the front of the shop. They both walk around to the stockroom that leads to the store portion of the building.

Simon motions for Kidonia to stay where she is and steps up to stand behind the counter. As the door swings shut, she sees four people talking to each other and hears Simon say, " 'Scuse me…" She doesn't want to upset him, so she strains to hear the conversation from her position.

_In the front…_

A girl with dark brown hair leans against the store counter, intentionally exposing the tops of her breasts, and says in a breathy, flirtatious voice, "Hi there, my name's Kate…" Simon, who is trying to keep his eyes averted, replies, " 'M Simon…" A buff, jock type grabs Kate's arm and pulls her away from the counter. "What're you doing?" He asks incredulously, "Can't you tell? He's a friggin' 'tard!" Simon's eyes blaze furiously at this and he expostulates in a steady voice, "I'm…not…retarded…"

At that moment, a young man with shaggy, dirty blond hair walks in. "Whoa…What did I miss?" He asks in a cheerful tone. Simon's eyes darken further and he quickly retreats into the stockroom. When the door shuts, he slams first his fist and then his head against the wall. As he reels back for another impact, Kidonia forces him to face her and she hugs him fiercely. He stands stock-still for several moments before slowly wrapping his arms around her, still breathing heavily.

_Back in the front…_

Stanley comes out after hearing the commotion and takes in the situation (scene?) before saying, "Forgive my brother, he's got good days and, uh, bad…" They all turn around, startled by his sudden appearance. "My name's Stanley, can I help y'all?" The jock type steps forward and engages him in a firm handshake. "My name's Riff…This is Zack," He points to the blond male, "Vicky," the blond female, "Ashley, " the Asian girl, "And—" Here the brunette steps up, batting her eyelashes, and says in the same flirtatious tone she used on Simon, "I'm Kate…"

"Well, we need directions to the camping area known as the Heathers and pay for these" Riff holds up two bottles of Jack Daniel's, "And for the gas." Stanley nods and, leaning against the doorway, he says, "Jus' head on up this here road an' follow it 'till ya get ta an empty campsite…"

Zack steps forward and says, "Hey, you've got a cooler around back, right? Mind if we go grab some beer or—" Stanley cuts in, glaring at him, "No beer." Shrugging, Zack moves forward as though to leave, but Stanley's arm slams against the opposite side of the doorway, effectively blocking the exit. Riff's eyes narrow and he steps forward threateningly, "That's it, man…" Zack grabs him and says, "Sorry, 'roids, ya know…" Riff pulls away and glares at him, but Zack mouths the words 'I have a plan…' to him. He points at the picture hanging on the wall. "Those must be your parents, eh? And you and your twin brother right? Dressed up as, uh, Billy the Kid, I bet? You know, they said, Billy the Kid, he killed like 19 men…"

Stanley's hand slips down and his eyes start to roll back into his head as he recalls murdering his parents, interspersed with images of his more recent victims. Vaguely, he hears one of the group in front of him ask, "Are you alright?" but he's completely immersed in the flashback.

_In the stockroom…_

"What happened out there, Simon?" Kidonia asks worriedly. He mutters something unintelligible into the crook of her neck. She grabs hold of the hair at the nape of his neck, forces his to look at her, and says firmly, "Tell me what happened." Simon looks into her eyes and then focuses on a point over her shoulder before murmuring half-heartedly, "Ya didn't say Simon Says…" She stares at him blankly for a few seconds and then starts laughing hysterically. When she gets her laughter under control, she replies, "Simon says tell me what happened out there…"

Begrudgingly, he relays the tale to her and her eyes darken considerably as he goes along. When he finishes retelling the events, Kidonia kisses him forcefully. As she pulls away, she snarls, "Don't you dare believe those idiots! Look at all the things you've made by hand, none of them could've thought of things like that." She smiles up at him and stage whispers, "Besides, the boys probably just jealous 'cause you're hot enough to distract his girlfriend…"

Blushing, Simon asks, "Ya think so?" She nods, wraps her arms around his neck and replies, "I know so…you definitely distract me…" She then brushes feather light kisses on his cheeks before giving him a brief, chaste kiss on the lips.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything…" Etherean says wryly, "but do either of you know where Stanley is?" Simon clears his throat and responds, "He's out there…" Kidonia queries, "How'd you know that?" He looks at her a utters a simple "Heard 'im"

"Oh, okay…" Etherean says before turning and walking, with the help of a pickaxe that she is using as a temporary cane, into the storefront. As she comes out, she notices the brunette, Kate, stroking Stanley's upper arm, trying to snap him out of his trance. Scowling, Eth stalks forward and flings Kate's hand off him. She turns to him and inquires softly, "Stanley, what's wrong?"

At her inquiry, his eyes open and he stares at her with a mixture of longing and wonder. When Vicky clears her throat, Stanley's gaze flicks up to her and he states, "Your money's no good here… Jus' consider it a gift." Riff rolls his eyes ad tosses $40 on the counter before saying "Keep the change" and almost storming out. Kate follows, but allows her eyes to rake over Stanley's figure again, completely oblivious to Etherean's death glare, before exiting. Ashley steps up and says indignantly, "This place is filthy…If someone called the health inspector, you'd be out of business!"

Stanley and Etherean glare at her, but before either could say a thing, Zack and Vicky push her out of the store saying, "Come on, doll, get in the van!" Stanley and Etherean share a glance at this. When he gets tapped on the shoulder, he turns to see Zack standing in the doorway. He proceeds to ask, "You got some Zig Zags? Double wide, smoke a fatty?" Stanley twitches before replying, "Ya know…smokin' can kill ya…Trust me…" Zack shrugs and says "We're all gonna die someday, might as well get high…" He then walks out with a dopey grin on his face.

Once they drive off, Etherean asks "What was with that trance-like state you were in?" At the same moment she put forth the question, Kidonia and Simon come walking out hand in hand. Simon stops and stares at Etherean at the same time that Stanley does. Stanley nervously ruffles his hair and says "It's sort of a…long story…" Simon tugs Kidonia's hand and jerks his head in the direction of the front doors. Nodding, she follows him outside and the start walking aimlessly.

Almost synchronously, Simon and Stanley tell Kidonia and Etherean the story of how they became murderers. When he finishes his tale, Kidonia asks, "Do you only use pickaxes or do you use other stuff as well? Have you ever used any of the weapons in your room to kill someone?" Simon gapes at her for a moment before replying, "Nah, we use all sorts o' tools…An', as fer yer second question, yeah…I have…" They continue to walk for a while in silence before Kidonia says, "I've got another question, if you don't mind answering it that is…"

Simon nods his acquiescence and Kidonia queries eagerly, "Have you ever used a cane sword?" He rubs the back of his neck and responds, "Once… but, uh, why'd ya ask?" Kidonia flushes lightly stares at the ground for a few moments, then says "I love cane swords, they're probably my favorite weapon of all time." Silence reigns again as they continue on their path. When they round a corner of the road that they were unintentionally walking along, Kidonia realizes that they are back at the campsite where she and her friends were staying.

Due to their silence, no one took notices of them until Enki barks and runs straight to Kidonia. Simon starts backing away slowly, unsure of how else to react. Despite being on the receiving end of an overly excited wolf's greeting, Kidonia notices and grabs his hand to stop his retreat. "Enki, enough!" She says forcefully, the wolf immediately responding to his owner's command. She stands up and shoots a reassuring look to Simon before she gets pulled into a bear hug by Mot.

"Where have you been? You disappear for hours and…wait a minute, where's Etherean? She said she was going to go find you…" Mot questions worriedly. Pulling back, Kidonia replies, "She did find me, she's alright…She's gonna be staying at Simon and Stanley's place for a bit, though, and so will I." Everyone looks like they're at a loss for words, so she adds, "Of our own will, so not a word about either of them forcing this on us."

Turning to him, Kidonia says, "I want you to stick around, Simon, so why don't you grab a branch or one of the dog toys in my truck and play with Enki while I go pack some stuff for me and Eth?" As he nods, she grabs his sleeve, pulls him close and whispers fiercely, "No pickaxes or dangerous objects, though." She then lets him go with a bright smile and walks over to the tents. Simon, who's looking a little shell-shocked, pats his legs and walks towards the tree line to get a stick.

_Meanwhile, back at the Shop…_

Stanley, who just finished telling Etherean about his past, is waiting with bated breath for her reaction. "Wow…" She finally responds, "I'd never have guessed that you didn't like Simon. You two get along so well now…" He shrugs before saying, "I guess ya feel diff'rent when ya ain't got nobody else ta call family…" A few moments pass in silence, during which neither of them seem to know what to say. Stanley casts a furtive glance at her and asks, "So…ya ain't gonna run screamin' or nothin'?"

Etherean grins and replies, "Nope, I like the strange and unusual…" Here she pulls the pickaxe necklace he made out of her shirt and pushes aside her hair to show the matching earrings. Stanley's eyes widen in surprise and he mutters a quick "Wait here…" before running off towards the back of the building. When he returns, he's playing with something small in his hand. He glances at Etherean and quickly looks away, a small blush flushing his cheeks.

"I was wonderin'…if, uh, well…would ya like ta be my girl?" He asks, stumbling over his words. After a few moments' hesitation, he extends his hand, offering her the silver ring resting in his palm. She gasps in shock, her gaze flickering between his eyes and the proffered ring. Sighing, she turns her eyes to the floor, staring at it as though it holds the answer to her problems. A puzzled, slightly worried expression finds its way onto Stanley's countenance. "I…Is somethin' wrong?" he asks, concerned.

"I really like you, Stanley, but it's just…well, I haven't had a boyfriend since I was a teenager." Confused, he queries, "Why not? Yer sure pretty enough…" Blushing at the compliment, she replies, "It's sort of a long story and it's rather sad, I don't know if you' really want to hear it. Nobody else ever seems interested and it's painful to recall…" Nodding, he says, "I told ya about my past 'cause I thought ya deserved ta know…'Least I could do is give ya my attention ta yours and I really do wanna know. Honest."

"Wow…" she murmurs, "Um, okay… Well, I was with this guy, Vincent, for 5 years. We had been talking about taking it to the next step, but, like things usually go when I'm happy, something went wrong…" Stanley scowls and asks, "Did he hurt ya? If he did, I'll make sure he meets his maker!" Etherean shakes her head and continues, "No, it's nothing like that! Besides, he's already dead." Stanley's expression softens at this and he puts his hand on her shoulder.

Somberly, she pushes on, "He…got into an accident. We were at my house and he said he forgot something at his place. He said he'd only be gone a few minutes while he went to go get it. He kissed me, told me he loved me, and was gone. I waited all night, but he never came back. I tried to call him, but his cell phone went straight to voicemail. I cried myself to sleep that night. The next morning, my mom woke me with the news…and a visit from the police. He had apparently clung to life long enough to tell the officer to make sure I got what he was going to give me. He also told him to let me know how sorry he was that he couldn't give it to me himself. The officer handed me a small jewelry box, inside of which there was a ring and a note. The note was basically him saying how much I meant to him, how much he loved being with me, and how sad he was when we were apart. It also said that he wanted to offer me his mother's wedding ring as a way of asking me to marry him…"

Etherean, who is now crying, shows him the ring, which she put on a necklace because it's not the right size. "I still have the note; I keep it in my journal…My journal! It's in the camp; I have to go get it!" She tries to get up, but Stanley pushes her back onto the cot. "Don' worry, I'll make sure ya get it…" After a moment's hesitation, he turns to leave, but Etherean grabs him and pulls him to her for a kiss. "Thank you…" she says when they break apart, "For listening and actually caring."

_Elsewhere, with Kidonia and Simon…_

"Oh, wow…" Kidonia gasps, "It's gorgeous… Can I hold it? Please?" Simon hesitates and pauses before saying "If…ya…really wanna, go ahead…" Grinning, she steps forward, lovingly caressing the length briefly and gives it a tug, pulling the blade from its disguised sheath. "It's in great condition; you must give it a lot of care." He shrugs noncommittally, murmuring, "Jus' regular maintenance…" Sighing dreamily, she runs her hand down the side of the cane sword. "Could you teach me how to use it?"

Simon nods yet again, but gently removes it from her grasp. "Not now, o' course… Need ta be gettin' back." Kidonia acquiesces and turns to grab the bag she dropped when she laid eyes on Simon's cane sword. "Let's get going then! The sooner we get back, the sooner I'll get to play with your cane sword!" As they head toward the shop, they are flanked by Enki and Deimos. Walking inside, they notice how curiously silent it is, so they go to the hospital-style room where Eth will be staying.

When they reach it, they both stare in shock at the sight of Etherean and Stanley kissing. They reluctantly separate, neither noticing Simon and Kidonia, and Stanley clears his throat to say "I'd better be gittin' if I'm gonna git yer journal 'fore nightfall…" He turns around, only to see Kidonia standing there, a small book in hand, "No need, Simon and I wound up walking up there, so I packed some stuff for both of us."

She walks over to Etherean and hands her the duffel bag she was carrying along with the journal, before following Simon back to the bedroom so they could deposit her stuff. When he opens the door, a silver blur shoots through and entering the room, they see that it was Enki, who is now lying on Simon's bed. "How…How'd 'e know which was mine?" Simon asks, staring at the 'intruder' making itself at home on the blue sheet covering his mattress. "I'd guess that it has something to do with the fact that everyone and everything has its own, unique scent…" Kidonia replies, "Looks like you'll have to get used to having two bed partners instead of one."

Confused, he looks over at her and queries, "What's that s'posed ta mean?" Smiling, she responds, "Normally, he sleeps nest to me, so I'm pretty sure he'll be curled up with us when we go to bed…" Stanley walks in at this moment, Deimos trailing behind him. He pauses with his shirt half off, realizing or perhaps remembering that Kidonia was there. "Doesn't bother me…" she says in response to his expression, but turns away to give him some semblance of privacy. After about a minute, she hears the squeak of bed springs and Stanley calls out, "Okay, you can turn around now…"

Upon doing so she sees that both twins are sitting, shirtless, upon their respective beds. She starts rifling through the contents of her bag, pulling out a t-shirt and a pair of loose fit sweatpants. She then picks up the bundle of cloth and walks out of the room, leaving the door cracked so she can get back in. When Kidonia walks back in, she's wearing the clothes she carried out of the room. As she closes the door, she sees that Stanley is under the covers of his bed, looking bemusedly at Deimos, who is curled up beside him. Simon, however, is still sitting on the edge of the bed petting Enki, who has moved to the foot of the bed.

Once she puts away her day clothes, she walks to the opposite side of the bed and slides under the cool sheets. Simon mirrors her action on his side of the bed and murmurs, "G'night." Smiling shyly, she responds "Night Simon…"

_In the morning…_

Kidonia drifts slowly awake, reluctant as she is to face the day; she nuzzles her head against the firm and warm pillow it is resting on. "Mornin'" Simon says softly, his hands gently playing with her hair. Turning her head so she can rest her chin on his chest, she stares up at him and asks wearily, "Do we have to get up?" A soft smile tugs at Simon's lips as he replies "'Fraid so… Stanley's already up n' about an' he'll be upset if we don' join 'im soon…" Reluctantly, she sits up, stretches and murmurs, "Alright…"

Looking at the foot of the bed, she smiles, seeing Enki laying there staring at her. "Enki, bag." She commands and, in response, he jumps off the bed and retrieves the bag, depositing it in her lap. Simon gets up and grabs a white thermal shirt from a dresser situated between the two beds. Glancing back at her, he sees her pull a fresh pair of jeans out. "I'll be out front when ya get done…" He states simply and walks out to give her privacy. Kidonia looks up as he says this and stares after him until he's out of sight.

Sighing, she mutters to herself, "Sweet AND sexy…how lucky can one girl be?" She then changes clothes, brushes her hair and pops a couple of breath mints in lieu of brushing her teeth. She then signals for Enki to follow her and leaves the room, making sure the door is securely latched before heading to the front. As she walks out, she sees a young girl conversing with Simon, Stanley, and Etherean. Curious, she makes her way over and stops when she reaches Simon's side. "So…Who's this?" Kidonia asks when there's a lull in their discussion. Stanley steps forward and responds, "Kidonia, this is Nikora. Nikora, this is Kidonia."

Smiling, Nikora steps forward, offering her hand by way of greeting ad says, "How ya doin'?" Kidonia reaches out and shakes her hand, replying cheerfully, "Not too bad, how about you?" They continue chatting amicably, that is, until Kidonia grabs hold of Simon's hand and smiles up at him. Nikora's expression sours as she sees this affectionate exchange. When she realizes that Nikora has been oddly silent, Kidonia looks over to her and sees the hateful expression on her face. "What's the matter?" Kidonia asks, befuddled. Nikora turns her face away and stalks out of the building without another word.

Still baffled, Kidonia queries, "What the hell did I do to piss her off?" Simon shifts uncomfortably before speaking up, "Ya were bein' affectionate…wit' me…" Kidonia shrugs and says "And what exactly is wrong with that?" Stanley coughs and retorts, "Nikora is, uh, very fond o' Simon…Now she sees ya as competition for Simon's attention…" Groaning, she mutters "Just great…I _had_ to piss off someone who knows every inch of the land out here…"

Simon nudges her and says confidently, "She won' hurt ya… Me an' Stanley'll tell 'er not ta…" Nodding, she replies, "Well, thank you…that means a lot to me." He nods and opens his mouth to speak again when, suddenly, a service bell rings in the shop. Simon walks to the window to investigate and, after a few seconds, he turns around and says "Visitors…five of 'em…"

A few moments later, the new arrivals enter the building. "Hey…" A blond female says in an annoyed tone, "Tell us how to get to the Heathers." Scoffing, Etherean replies, "Think you could ask, maybe?" A young black man steps forward and asks in a light, friendly tone "Could you please tell us how to get to the Heathers? We'd really appreciate it." Smirking slightly, Kidonia says, "Just keep going up this road until your wheels hit the water, then you'll be there…" Both Etherean and Kidonia start chuckling and say synchronously, "Hope you guys have fun…"

"Um…thank you, creepily laughing ladies…" the young man responds before reaching out to shake their hands, "My name's Raven, by the way…everyone calls me Scooby, though…" Simon and Stanley step up next to 'their' girls, roughly shaking his hand in turn, saying in turn "Simon" and "Stanley." The girls roll their eyes and shake his hand firmly, but gently saying in a similar fashion, "Kidonia" and "Etherean." Smiling, Raven, AKA Scooby introduces the other people in his group. "The blond girl is Heather, the shy brunette is Lydia, the guy with no fashion sense is Alaric and this goofball, " here he slings an arm across the shoulders of a tall, skinny boy with auburn hair, "is Wybie…"

A perplexed expression finds its way onto Kidonia's face. "Wybie?" she asks incredulously, "Why do I get the feeling that's short for something horrible?" Rubbing the back of his neck nervously, he steps forward and replies "It's short for Wyborne…" Smiling lightly, Kidonia puts her hand on his shoulder and says "Not utterly horrible…it could be worse…" Nodding, he quietly turns and walks out, the rest of the group shrug and follow, waving goodbye as they go. After watching them drive away, Kidonia turns around and heads for the exit. As she walks, she calls out "Gonna go meditate, be back to make dinner…"

_In the woods…_

Riff and his friends are sitting around chatting after spending the day enjoying themselves. "What was with those weirdos in that shop anyway?" Riff scoffed. Chuckling, Zack replies "Who knows, I mean they're probably all uneducated…" Riff stands up, still angry about the events from the day before. "I'm gonna go see about getting more wood." He says before walking off into the trees.

_Elsewhere…_

Simon, wearing his ghillie suit once more, stalks quietly through the underbrush. As he moves, he glances over towards the riverbank, searching fruitlessly. When he reaches a clearing, he decides to take a break. After sitting down at an old picnic table, he looks around and realizes that he's at one of the old campsites, one that he and his brother had attacked in their early days. The tent that had been left standing was falling apart from years of constant exposure to the elements. Simon lets out a heavy sigh and, after shedding the upper portion of the ghillie suit, thinks back to why he was out in the woods.

_*Flashback*_

Etherean looks back and forth between Simon and Stanley. Finally, she gives up on conveying her message silently. "Shouldn't we either stop her or at least make sure she stays safe out there?" Stanley furrows his brow in confusion, "Whaddya mean?" He asks, "Why wouldn't she be safe?" Shaking her head, Etherean reply "Well, unless you have some mysterious mental link with her, Nikora's out there, pissed off, and hasn't been told NOT to harm Kidonia… Not to mention those guys from yesterday were not the most savory types…"

Scratching his head, Stanley mutters "Guess you're right there… Simon, go get changed and find her."

_*End Flashback*_

_With Kidonia…_

Kidonia groans as she fails to fall into a meditative state. Her mind is abuzz as she tries to sort out where her life is heading. She gets up and decides to wander in the forest instead.

_Back at the clearing…_

While Simon was distracted, he failed to notice the approach of Riff. Riff had, in fact, been gathering firewood, but had set the pile down a safe distance away after he caught sight of Simon through the trees. In his mind, his girlfriend's flirting was to be blames o the man sitting obliviously a few yards away. With his plan firmly decided, he stalked forward angrily, fully intent on strangling the freak who had gained his girl's attention. Upon reaching Simon, Riff grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around forcefully, swinging his fist and clipping Simon's chin.

Simon falls to the ground, dazed, turning to stare blankly at the jock glaring down at him. Riff grabs hold of Simon's shirt and pulls him upright. He then proceeds to throw Simon back onto the bench he'd been sitting at moments before. Riff begins to punch him repeatedly, landing hits on his head and chest.

_Back with Kidonia…_

As she wanders, Kidonia happens upon a pickaxe. "Those boys should really learn to pick up their toys when they're done playing with them…" She says, laughing, as she grabs it before continuing along the trail she found. She starts hearing a commotion up ahead and decides to rush over and see if she could be of assistance. Upon entering the clearing, she sees Simon being assaulted by the jerk who was at the shop the day before.

She races towards them, brandishing the pickaxe and swinging it when she gets close enough. The blade slides home into his shoulder, causing him to let out a pained shriek. Kidonia stumbles back a few steps at the sound, giving Riff enough time to regain some modicum of sense. He stalks over to her and gives her a powerful slap, sending her to the ground a few feet away. Before he can even blink, a searing pain shoots through him as the pickaxe is ripped from his shoulder. The force of the maneuver spins him around, bringing him face to face with an enraged Simon, who, despite his bruised and bleeding countenance, is the one with the upper hand. He begins to viciously stab Riff with his new weapon. Blood splatters him as each blow lands, slowly dousing him in the thick red liquid.

Kidonia takes a few steps forward once he stops stabbing the barely recognizable body of his newest victim. Simon breathes heavily, blood dripping from his chin, the furious expression on his face causes her to stop mid-step. The silence is nearly deafening, the only sound being the steady 'drip, drip, drip' of blood falling to the leaves on the ground. A full-bodied shudder runs through her as she takes in his blood-spattered appearance. She steels herself and walks towards Simon, relaxing with each step as he doesn't react negatively.

Upon reaching him, she reaches cautiously for his arm and slides her hand towards his own, which is still clutching the blood covered pickaxe. She raises her right hand up and cups his cheek before standing on tiptoe to lay a tentative kiss on his lips. Though he is unresponsive at first, she doesn't retreat, but instead kisses him again. He drops the pickaxe and crushes her to him in one swift motion. Hesitantly, he nudges her lips with his tongue and, as she opens her mouth, he plunges in, his fury transforming into mad passion. They continue in this fashion for several minutes, breaking apart only for air, neither one caring about nor paying attention to the corpse at their feet.

The sound of someone clearing their throat obnoxiously startles them enough to cause them to jump apart. They turn to see Nikora standing between two trees, blatantly glaring at Kidonia. She rolls her eyes, turns to Simon and says "I'm gonna head back now, so you go ahead and finish up here…Dinner will be ready in about an hour…" Simon grunts in acquiescence and wipes the remaining blood from his face with his shirtsleeve.

He turns around, walking to the picnic table to pick up the discarded portion of his ghillie suit. Shrugging it on, he looks over at Nikora, finally speaking up "Don' hurt her…" She steps forward and practically shouts her response, "But Simon! She's an outsider! She doesn't belong out here and she can't possibly be as right for you as me! I know you, I know the Heathers, and I know what life is like here!"

"When I said 'Don' hurt her'…" he begins, each syllable spoken slowly, filled with menace and barely suppressed rage. "It wasn't a request…no more arguin' either; I've made up my mind on this. She's mine 'n that's that…" With this, he turns away once more, pausing only to collect the dropped pickaxe, before sedately walking off into the trees. Nikora stands stock-still for a few moments, utterly surprised at the fact that Simon would snap at her. Though she knew his temper could be roused easily on most occasions, this was the first time she'd been on the receiving end of it. More surprising, though, was that it was a vocal rebuke and not a violent outburst.

"Maybe I was wrong…" She states at last, "Maybe she does belong here…with him…" Shaking her head sadly, she finally takes notice of the corpse in the clearing. Chuckling, she grabs one arm and starts tugging the body towards the river, intent on disposing of it. After dragging it a few feet, the arm was rent from the torso with a strange sound somewhat akin to the sound of wet cloth being torn apart. She stares at the severed limb blankly for a moment and then bursts out in laughter, the sound echoing merrily through the trees. She grabs the other arm with her free hand before continuing to the river, where she wades to the middle with the body and places a few large stones on the torso, legs and arm, tossing the second in the direction of the rapids, certain that it would be washed far enough downstream to cause no issues for them.

_Later, at the shop…_

"Alright, here's what I'm thinking…" Kidonia says before taking a bite of the stroganoff from her plate. "We can spare a few of the kids in the last group that came through, they didn't seem like they were too awful…" Etherean nods in agreement and says "But everyone from yesterday has gotta go…none of them should be spared, they were all jerks and that Kate girl is obviously a tramp!" Simon and Stanley have surprised looks on their faces; however, they merely shrug and dig into their food, not bothering to add anything to the conversation. Smiling, Kidonia leans over towards Etherean and whispers "Did you ever think we would be talking about killing people and actually mean to go through with it?" Shaking her head, Etherean murmurs back, "Not unless we were in some zombie apocalypse situation…"

Settling herself upright again, Kidonia glances over at the twins and queries "What do you two think? Any issues or questions?" Stanley looks up from his plate and pauses thoughtfully before responding, "No problem wit' yer choices...Would ya be wantin' ta take part in th' killin'? Think ya could handle it?" Gazing at Simon, Kidonia chuckles and replies "Oh, I don't think I'd have much trouble with it…Right, Simon?" Simon shifts nervously in his seat and says "Uh, right…" Etherean looks back and forth between the two with an eyebrow raised and shrugs, stating simply "No issues here…"

A/N: Guys, I am SO sorry about how long it's taken me to get this done and posted…My muse went on vacation for a while and I had several moments where I simply couldn't figure out what to do, whether or not to have one of my characters do something and if it made sense for certain things to occur… Many thanks to all of you for reviewing my story and encouraging me to keep going with all your kind words! I have to say that I was strongly considering giving up on this several times during the writing of this chapter, but right when I was about to simply quit and post a note telling you guys the story would be on hiatus until further notice, I checked my inbox and found that some kind soul had actually gone through and reviewed every chapter… In an attempt to show her my appreciation for giving me the push I needed to keep going, this chapter is dedicated to snowwhitealice. I hope that you are right about my abilities and that this chapter is, in fact, as good as the rest if not better. Positive news though, I've already got the next faux chapter pretty much mapped out, just need to figure out a few more details and then I can get to writing it. Here's the list of stuff I don't own: . As always, please read and review, I am much more hyped up for writing when I see those review alerts in my inbox.

~Kidonia


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